What We Do For Love
by mentalsunflower
Summary: (FORMERLY NOT SO HAPPILY EVER AFTER)In the End: Does Saleed EVER die? How can Athilda and Karren possibly help? Gippal sits in the corner, nearly dead, and Rikku gets hurt in a painful way, not to mention there're white-washed WALLS. All in chapter 25.
1. Anxiety

A/N: YAY! Another story on Rikku and Gippal! I told you I can't leave them alone! This one is gonna be a long one though-and has nothing to do with my other story. COMPLETELY different. Different pasts, different lives different—yea.

Though my first will always be my favorite. Go read it, if you haven't. Go. Shoo.

But read this one too.

**Disclaimer**: I WANT TO OWN RIKKU AND GIPPAL!…but I don't. So bugger off-you know I own nothing.

**Luca: Blitzball Stadium**

Rikku sighed, blowing her long blond bangs out of her eyes. She hated coming to these social speeches/party things. Odd enough, considering she was something of a social butterfly. But when it usually just focused around Yuna, and her and Paine were stuck making faces in the background (usually just her, Paine would never stoop to such a childish level)…well, Rikku, plain out loud, hated going.

And she _especially_ hated it how she knew everyone that went. Why? Because they would all ignore her and swamp towards Yuna, leaving her in a dark corner with nothing but her stuffed monkey Moo-Koo.

It was only two months after the defeat of Vegnagun. Rikku had overheard Yuna telling Tidus that this would be the last social event for a long time. Thank _Yevon_.

Rikku's hair was still done up in the same fashion from her journey. But now she wore a forest green headband, a dark green tank-top (spaghetti-strap), with what seemed like a gauzy scarf hanging loosely over her shoulders, and a short, dark green (near black) skirt. On her feet she wore her old white calf-high boots with the feathers-those would always be her favorite.

But, to continue, her green, swirly eyes were glaring over at a certain someone, who seemed to be having the time of his life with someone _else_. Someone who she would rather prefer left OUT of his life.

She anxiously jiggled the leg that rested atop her other. Her arms were crossed across her chest and she was sitting lazily in a chair. After all the speeches and 'I want to be your best friend, random stranger!' stuff, there was now the usual-a big dance where every girl was supposed to meet her true love and live happily ever after.

Yea. Right.

The gold bracelets on her left arm jiggled in tune with her bouncing leg. Finally she stopped, with only her foot bobbing quickly up and down. It was her nervous habits-lately she was always nervous. She glared over at Yuna and Tidus, smiling and sipping their wine like fine old gentlemen. Paine was off in a corner with Nooj, and Rikku saw Leblanc quickly closing in. She would have almost laughed; if she felt like it. Baralai seemed to standing just a little ways from Nooj and Paine, looking rather nervous. Even seeing Brother and Buddy strike out with some girls didn't make her day.

"All I wanted was a happy ending." She muttered, remembering after they had beaten Vegnagun.

"That's all I wanted."

_Rikku sighed heavily as the Celsius sped away from Luca: and thankfully, away from all that speech-making. She chuckled at the revelation that Nooj, Gippal, and Baralai were left alone to do that. She glanced over to see Yuna in an anxious state: one she had been in ever since Vegnagun's defeat._

"_So Paine! Whatcha gonna do?" Rikku asked perkily. Paine shrugged. _

"_I might go back to being a recorder: for what, I don't know." _

Rikku just nodded and skipped over to Yuna. "And you?"

"Huh? What? Oh—I don't know. Maybe settle down on Besaid…" Rikku could clearly tell Yuna was distracted, and headed off for Brother. Okay. So her friends were off, either traveling elsewhere or staying put. Rikku could handle that. She was a big girl-big girl's like her didn't worry about little things like that.

"_Brother? What're you and Buddy gonna do?"_

"_Go to Airship RACEEESSSS!" Brother cried, pumping his fist in the air._

"_Yea, we wanna show off this beauty to those suckers!" Buddy called over from the map control center. Rikku just giggled as she walked back to where Shinra usually sat: But he was gone._

_She sat in his chair and took this all into account.Okay-so all her friends were abandoning her. Big deal, right? She would think of something…perhaps the Gullwings no longer existed, but something else would…she would MAKE something else exist…anything…_

_Rikku didn't realize she had been crying. Sniffing, she wiped at her eyes. Her happy ending was ruined. She would have to start over—everything from scratch. But she didn't want to. Her friends had left her the first journey around, and now it was happening AGAIN._

_Would she EVER find her happy ending?_

Rikku shook off the memory as a dancing couple came closer to where she sat. She sniffed and turned her head in the opposite direction. Sure, it looked snobby. But Rikku was feeling rather snobby herself. Rather then feeling perky and happy, she felt dull, drab, and dreary.

Suddenly a tinkly, VERY false laugh awakened Rikku from her selfish, lonely thoughts. There they were. Her heart sunk as she saw the man she had once loved dancing and enjoying the company of some-some-she devil!

That's right. You all know who.

His blond hair was the same as always: spiked and pampered-looking, with a black eye path cutting sits path across it. He wore different clothes (too fancy to describe) that were in a dark blue color. His green eye seemed to sparkle, and his smile widened with laughter. Rikku nearly vomited at the sight. But if that wasn't enough, the girl he was dancing with wasn't her.

Nhadala. Rikku wanted to spit on that name and send it to the Farplane with a fruit basket. Though she hated to admit it, the girl looked stunning, with her goggles and Al Bhed suit off, she looked, actually, normal. With a shining, sequined purple dress that criss-crossed over her shoulders and led down to her ankles, and long blond hair near her shoulders, she could actually seem-pretty.

But with _Gippal_? Augh. She couldn't _wait_ to see how he got himself out of this one.

Too bad she had looked to glower. He caught her eye, and in a flash he and Nhadala were coming over to the punch table she was sitting beside. WHY did she choose this spot again?

Oh yea. To drown her sorrows in the drink.

"Hey—Cid's Girl—" Gippal managed, breathing heavily with a huge smile plastered on his face. Nhadala was breathing just as heavily, giggling all the while.

_What a twit_. Rikku thought, forgetting she used to be just the same. _Only because Gippal is looking at her, and she bends herself just to fit around his little finger, like some kind of lacey glove or something…_

"Hullo." Rikku said dully, her leg now starting to jiggle again. Her eyes stayed where Gippal and Nhadala had been dancing-now a couple had taken their place…man, that guy looked _SO_ familiar…she couldn't see the girl, and the man was barely visible—they had dimmed the lights.

"What's wrong?" Gippal asked, reaching out to ruffle her hair. Instinctively Rikku ducked and swerved her head to the right. Gippal glanced down at her with a frown, and she glared right back, her eyes just narrow slits.

"Oh-huh-let's think—YOU is what's wrong." Rikku hissed, her leg bobbing madly. Gippal sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"Nhad-honey-could you get us some punch?" Nhadala smiled, nodded, and rushed off to the other side of the table.

"So when are you gonna tell "Honey" it's over?" Rikku asked with a grim smile. She watched Gippal from the corner of her eye as he sat down slowly and painfully.

"I'm not—not anytime soon, anyway."

Hmm. He had completely blown off the thing about calling Nhadala honey. Very out of character.

Rikku felt her stomach knot. _He's just doing this to get you angry, take a breath…breathe…_

"I thought you said you could only stand things for 'one or two days'." Rikku muttered, fiddling with a bracelet. She saw Gippal glance at Nhadala, (who was busy talking to another Al Bhed).

"Okay, you're just making a mountain out of a molehill, all right? There was no need to duck your head or anything-we promised to act normal in front of everyone else. Like nothing happened, remember?" Rikku looked up at him, and felt that her eyes were watering. She had just remembered how hard it was to look into his face without bursting into tears. The face she had once looked forward to seeing every day…

_SHE_ hadn't promised anything! _SHE_ hadn't said they should act like nothing happened! Because something _did_ happen! Something she wanted to hold on to for the rest of her life.

"A _molehill_?" She hissed. "A _MOLEHILL_? Look, this was NO molehill, all right? This was a MOUNTAIN, and you _know_ it!" Rikku cried, standing up abruptly. Gippal glanced nervously around, giving everyone an 'it's okay, I can handle it' smile.

"Rikku-listen-can we discuss this somewhere else?" Gippal asked, looking around. "Or else you can talk quieter." Rikku sighed, breathing in and out a number of times, finally decided to sit back down in her chair.

"You've never been this calm before." She muttered. Gippal shrugged.

"You live and learn."

"What? Live with _Nhadala?_ Didn't take YOU long to hook up again."

Gippal growled, running his hand through his hair once more. "Rikku, you're making this more difficult then it has to be…"

"No I'm not. I'm being perfectly logical." Rikku muttered back, knowing she was getting into a stupid and childish argument. But she didn't want to let him go-not ever. She wanted to rub into his face how hurt she was-but at the same time, she didn't want him to know just how much pain he had caused her.

She heard another sigh. "Whatever Kid. But _I'm_ going to be mature about it."

"That's a first." Rikku stated with a snarky tone. Gippal glared at her.

"I have a remark on the tip of my tongue, but I'll save it for when you _really_ annoy me, Cid's Girl."

Rikku stuck her tongue out at him. "Too bad I'll never come near enough to you-your face sends anyone within 10 feet of you running."

Gippal grinned. "I've taught you well, Little Girl."

"Will you call me _anything_ but Rikku?!" She asked, officially ticked off.

Gippal sat in mock thought. "Yes, that sounds about right, Cid's Girl."

"AUGH!" She stood up angrily, her scarf becoming more loose. Why was she exploding again? She shouldn't have been talking to Gippal about being out of character...

Neh. All well.

"Look, it's enough that you've constantly annoyed me-that I can live with. But you know what? I CANNOT, absolutely, positively, CANNOT live with you breaking my _heart_!" Rikku swerved around on her heel and ran off, blinded by a sudden visit of tears.

Why did she always have to break down the minute she saw him? Why did she always have to remember all the good times they had everytime she saw him smiling and talking with some other girl? WHY did she have to be so jealous and clingy? Rikku was a girl who didn't need a man…

Especially one like Gippal.

_Lie!_ A voice screamed in her head. _You NEED Gippal! If not, you'll explode from loneliness!_

Rikku sighed as she ran out onto the balcony. She breathed in the salty sea air and smiled unwillingly, considering the terrible mood she was in.

_I need to make a happy ending**…my** happy ending_

A/N: Yay! I hope it was okay—I haven't written a first chapter in a while. GASP. But WHY is Rikku so mad and sad? HOW did Gippal break her heart? What's this about a one or two day fling? Nhadala wearing a purple dress?! Why is Rikku so jealous of Nhadala? And WHAT WENT ON BETWEEN RIKKU AND GIPPAL?!

Some of those rather important and/or useless questions will be answered in the…NEXT CHAAAPTER.

But only if you review!


	2. Done Deal

A/N: Second chapter! Woohoo. Will secrets be revealed? …perhaps.

The cold wind whipped around the faces of a man and woman shrouded in shadows. Rain had been pouring for hours, and was still coming down in bucket fulls. The young mans hair was plastered against his head. The girl, a foot or so shorter than him, shivered from the cold.

_Why had he brought her here, and in such nasty weather conditions? Thunder boomed in the distance, and the girl shivered. Lightning flashed and she yelped, leaning into the safe arms of the boy in front of her._

_Expecting him to hug her tightly and tell her everything was all right, she sighed happily. "I love you Gippal." She muttered dreamily._

_But his gloved hands grasped at her shoulders and lifted him off of his chest. She stood up, looking at him with round, confused eyes. But he didn't look back. His head hung in a sad way, his eye closed as if he were in pain._

"_Why won't you say you love me?" Rikku asked suddenly, tears of frustration collecting in the corners of her eyes. Her voice was trembling, and she tried to still it, but it wouldn't._

_  
"Am I not good enough?"_

"_No! Rikku, it's-it's not like that! I'm not-I'm not—" He sighed, running his hand through his wet, wild hair._

"You're not what?" She asked coldly, feeling her body numb. Why was he doing this to her? WHY?

"_I'm not READY, all right?" He finally managed, looking into her eyes with a sad expression on his face. "I'm not that type! I can't be in a long-lasting, REAL relationship! My things last one or two days, a week or two at most!" Gippal sighed and hung his head, a single tear streaming from his eye._

"_W-What?" Rikku mustered, eyes now freely spilling tears. What did he say? He didn't—didn't love her? _

"_I can't say those words. I'm not a committed person! The only thing is that—I don't want this to be just a fling-I want it to last. But it can't—because **I** can't. What else can I say?" _

_Rikku could clearly tell it hurt him to say he couldn't say those words-the ones she had told him herself many times, with him answering with just a smile, or a ruffle of the hair-she should have figured it out then. He didn't REALLY care for her…_

_Rikku opened her mouth, about to retort "You CAN say something else! You can say you love me!" but she stopped herself. Would she really want to hear it—if it meant nothing at all?_

Her head hung low, blond hair flying around her head as a breeze blew past her. The memory flashed before her eyes, and it still stung her now. Right before she had left on her first journey…when she thought he could have come with her…but instead, he had ruined the only thing important to Rikku.

She HAD truly loved him. They had been friends ever since she could remember…she had had feelings for him ever since a young age, and they had been through so much-wars, arguments, rebuildings of Home, machina expeditions…everything.

And he had ruined it all by not being strong enough to stay in a relationship. She had acted happy through out the past years, just because she felt the need to _seem_ happy. Even though she wasn't .She never could be, knowing she had meant nothing to Gippal.

And now that it was all over, Rikku just felt plain anger boiling inside of her again. Those emotions were a bad combination-anger and sadness could kill a person.

"Rikku?" A tentative voice called from the balcony doors.

"What?" She asked sharply. Plainly, she just didn't feel like conversing at the moment.

Whoever it was took those words as an invite to come walk up behind her. "Are you—all right?"

"Does it _look_ like I'm all right?" She growled, her arms resting lazily on the balcony's wall while tears streamed down her face.

Suddenly two strong, well built arms wrapped around her waist. She froze, her eyes wide.

"Cunno." The voice muttered softly resting their head on her shoulder. For a moment, Rikku felt relaxed, with his strong, familiar arms protecting her, and his breath right near her ear. She felt shivers ease up her spine, when—

"What?! Get _OFF_ of me, Gippal!" She shrieked, whirling around and kneeing him in the stomach.

"Ow! Jesus, Rikku…" He muttered, backing up from her, his arms clenched tightly around his stomach. Rikku just 'hmphed'.

"What in _Spira_ do you think you're doing, Gippal?! Don't TOUCH me!" She screamed, even louder than before. Gippal raised his head and glared at her.

"Shut UP Rikku, people will hear you!" Already a few curious heads were turned in the direction of the doors. Gippal swerved around and shut them abruptly so no one could hear the two have a soon-to-be screaming fight.

Rikku had turned back to facing outside. WHY had he touched her? Hadn't he broken up with her? Why was he acting like they were back together again?

"It was just an apology." He finally muttered. Rikku whirled to her left to see him standing against the balcony edge, his legs crossed and his one arm resting lazily above his head on the wall.

"Some apology." She muttered. "Reminding me of what we used to have? Yea-great idea, _genius_."

"Now, now, anger doesn't solve a thing, young grasshopper."

"Since when have _you_ cared about that? You used to bash people upside the head for taking something of yours—"

"Yes, BUT, I've changed."

Rikku glanced at him to see a twinkling in his eye with an eased smile on his face.

"What a load of crap." She muttered with a grim smirk on her face.

"No, no, it's true! Being with Nhadala has inspired me to look at life in a completely different view."

"Oh yay. Now I've got a goody-goody two shoes hanging around me." Rikku glared up at him, and he just watched her with a steady eye. She finally sighed.

"How long?"

"Huh?"

"Oh you _know_ what I mean!" Rikku yelled. He sighed.

"Almost a year."

"A-A _YEAR?!_" Rikku shrieked, turning around to face him.

"Yes. A year. Have a hearing problem, Granny?" Rikku glared at him.

"You haven't changed _that_ much."

"I'm workin' on it."

A silence ensued those words. "Why?" She finally asked. "WHY can you stay with HER for almost a year, but with me, it's a big, fat, no no?"

Gippal sighed. "I have my reasons."

"They probably suck."

"Probably."

"But I just-just don't get it!" She finally cried, rubbing at her eyes to stop the tears from falling. "What does she have that I didn't? A lobotomy or something?!"

"Huh?"

"Well she seems to be pretty wrapped up in you-listens to _anything_ you say, agrees with _anything_ you say, GIGGLES at _anything_ you say—she'd probably jump off of a bride if you asked her to, all the while GIGGLING!"

Rikku breathed heavily, her eyes round and wild. She looked up to see an angry look on his face.

"Look, just because she's actually _interested_ in me and what I say doesn't mean you get the right to judge her!" He hissed.

"Judge? Who's JUDGING? I'm stating simple facts! If you came out of your trance and actually paid attention to her and not just her _looks_, you might notice that!"

"Are you calling me shallow?" He asked, eye wild with rage.

"Well you didn't seem to be interested in anything else when you were with ME!" Rikku finally shrieked, heading for the doors that led back to the dance.

"There's more to it than that!" He called as she reached for the handle. She stopped, her grip loosening. She wanted to hear it all-everything he had to say and why he had left her…maybe there WAS a reason…maybe he didn't mean what he had said.

"Cunno." She muttered, as she opened the door. "I don't have time to listen to more of your pathetic lies. Your love is waiting for you by the punch table by the way—" She stopped, an evil grin overtaking her lips.

"Looks like she got a little tired of your ego." Rikku then opened the door to walk back in, with a curious Gippal striding quickly over to the door. As she stepped in she heard him gasp. A small ping of sadness for him overtook her-she couldn't help but feel bad for him.

Who wants to find their girlfriend kissing some other man?

"Cred." She heard him mutter. She sighed and turned around.

"Cunno, Gippal. But next time, think before you choose your mates, all right? They might want a little more than an eye staring at them, and nothing else."

"But I _paid_ attention to her! We talked and laughed and-and you _saw_ us dancing!"

"Did she ever say I love you?" Rikku finally asked, rage pricking at her skin. Gippal stopped in mid sentence and glared at her.

"Yes." He mumbled.

"And did you ever say I love you back?"

Another awkward pause.

"No."

"Well THERE'S your answer!" She cried, throwing her arms in the air. "Don't expect to stick with a girl if you never admit to your feelings-I've had plenty of experience with that."

With those words Rikku turned around and headed for the doors that led out of this god forsaken stadium.

After she left, she would be free of Gippal—no more temptation to remind her of her sadness.

She could finally be set free.

"OUT! OUT!" A maid screamed at Rikku in one of the hotels in Luca. She moaned, legs kicking the air to try and get the blanket off.

"One sec!" She cried to the maid outside. "Ballistic much?" She muttered, as she grabbed for her usual bikini outfit.

Finally, as she packed up her things in the bathroom, she glanced at her hair. "Hmm…" She muttered, glancing up at it. "I think it's time we changed your do."

After a quick word with the maid (more like a few screams), Rikku got some extra time to quickly undo her braids. Soon her hair was let down, wavy blond locks cascading over her shoulders and down to almost her elbows. She grinned, and decided to leave her hair down. Soon she escaped the room of the hotel and headed down the staircase. She needed to get out of this city-everyone was still yibbering on about the social last night-not like she enjoyed listening to it.

With a sigh of relief she stepped out onto the bustling streets of Luca. A few stray seagulls flew past her, cawing out for food. That reminded Rikku-she was hungry.

After buying an apple or two from a nearby vendor, Rikku sat at a bench, munching on her apple while lost in deep thought. Where would she go? Not Besaid, Yunie and Tidus needed their time…not big cities like this, NOT Bevelle, Bikanel was now just a big pile of sand…

With a sickening realization, Rikku knew…there _was_ nowhere for her to go.

"Augh, get _out_ of my eyes." She muttered at her hair. She quickly pulled the wind blown hair behind her ears. What to do…what to do…

Suddenly she gasped. Her eyes had been staring at one, shadowy corner…but she hadn't actually paid attention to what was in it. She quickly stood up, but just as fast sat back down.

She couldn't go talk to him-not after their huge argument last night. As much as she wanted to hear his voice talking to her, she forced restraint. The last thing she needed was temptation.

With a sigh she stood up to leave the area. But she needed to get rid of her apple cores. Great. Just what she needed. The only trash can was right near the shadowy corner. If she could just drop them in and run…

Rikku slinked over to the corner, afraid to even look at him. But he wasn't paying attention anyway. He sat cross-legged, head in hands and eye trained on the ground. Quick as a flash she dropped the apple cores in and started to make a mad dash.

"Cid's Girl?"

She cringed as she heard a small chuckle.

"Nice hairdo." She couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not—you can never tell what a man means when he's moping over losing a girlfriend.

"Do you mean it?" She asked, trying to sound cold. But instead, it came out sounding hopeful.

_Aw man._

"Yea. Surprisingly, I do." He stood up and fingered a fly away strand and tucked it behind her ear. She shivered.

_It doesn't mean anything, it doesn't mean anything…_

"Thanks." She muttered, starting to blush.

"So where're you headed?" He asked lazily, leaning up against the stone wall. Rikku resisted the urge to roll her eyes. No matter how sad he was, he always tried to act calm.

"I-I-" She paused. "I really don't know." She finally managed. "Everyone's leaving to do something, and there's really nothing to do for _me_, or anywhere for me to go…"

"Come to Djose." Drawled Gippal, interrupting. Rikku faultered.

"What?"

"Come. To. Djose." Gippal repeated, smirking. "Seriously, get a hearing aid."

Rikku blushed. "No thanks. Working on machina-"

"Machines."

"Right. Working on _machines_ doesn't really appeal to me with you breathing down my neck all the while."

"Aw, come on. Do you really think I'm hiring you just so I can pay all of my attention to you?"

"Yes." She answered immediately.

"Oh, geez. Come on."

"No way in Spira."

"You said so yourself, there's no where for you to go."

"Nu-uh."

"Pretty please?"

"In your dreams."

"Look. You don't usually hear me beg." Gippal growled standing up to his full height. "And this is the last time you ever will. I _know_ you love working on machina-machines, sorry. I _know_ you do. No one can live with you for 16 years and not notice. And the Machine Faction won't be just _me_, there'll be all sorts of other people to supervise you."

"Weeellllll…" Rikku pondered this. She _did_ love machina, and Gippal mentioning knowing her for 16 years made her heart flutter. Wait. What did THAT have to do with anything?

Anyway, and besides…if she got paid…

"Am I getting paid?"

"You normally do at a job."

"Hmmm…" She tapped her chin with a finger softly.

"I'll think about-but if, and only if…you accompany me to the docks."

"Huh? Why?"

Rikku shrugged. "I just have a feeling there's something there I should go see."

_You just want to buy more time with him._ Chided a voice.

_SHUT UP! We're over, I don't want to bother him anymore._

_It's HIM who asked you to work for him, is it not?_

_I'm just going to grumble angrily at you…_

"Fine. It's a deal." Gippal gave her a genuine smile and held out his hand for her to shake.

"It sure is." She replied, grasping his hand and shaking it firmly.

A/N: Gak! I'm sorry! I ran out of ideas! –sob- I did the standard "let's work for you, Gippal my love!" Augh. Don't say I'm uncreative-I know I am. –cringes- If you've read my first story, you can tell this one is written a little differently. Hopefully not in a bad way! R&R please!


	3. Suspicious Reunion

A/N: Gasp. Review people. I feel alone. If you review, I stay happy. That's right.

Okay, I have like, no ideas for this story; it's all just coming as I go. I'll try to fix it up as best I

Can…thanks!

**Disclaimer**: Eep! I forgot one last chapter! Oh no. Well, how about this-for the first two chapters, and ALL THE REST, nothing belongs to me. Except for if I make up some…certain Al Bhed character.

**Luca Docks: Early in the Morning**

Rikku munched on one apple as she strode quickly through the streets. A very frustrated Gippal followed closely behind.

"Slow down a bit?" Gippal asked. His legs were getting rather sore from striding quickly, trying to keep with Rikku. "Trying to get rid of me or something?"

"Maybe." Rikku said with a playful grin. So what if she hated him for what he had done? She was allowed to tease him a bit…she missed having fun with him.

"_Seriously_ Rikku." She heard him groan. With a sigh she slowed her pace to keep step with him.

"Here." She said, tossing him an apple. He caught it in his right hand immediately and bit into it.

"Yum. Juicy." He added, smiling at her. Rikku rolled her eyes.

"You better be talking about the apple."

"No duh."

For a while the two ate their apples in silence (Rikku bought those other two while walking to the docks with Gippal), until he broke the silence.

"Why did you have to go to the docks again?"

"I had a feeling there's something here I need to see."

"U huh." He muttered skeptically. "Sorry to be an unbeliever when it comes to your psychic abilities." He snorted. Rikku grimaced.

"Okay, okay, I lied. Cid called me earlier to tell me there's a surprise waiting at the docks this morning-in fact it was a few days ago." Rikku frowned up at him. "Happy?"

She heard him give a low whistle as he stuffed his gloved hands back in his pockets. "Wow…callin' your dad Cid now, eh? Do I sense some tension between the two of you, or—"

"Nope. No tension." Rikku snapped, tugging at her scarf. "None. At. All."

"All right, all right! I was just asking, Ms. Crab Apple." Gippal muttered. Rikku just rolled her eyes. She had a feeling she was going to be doing a lot of that now.

"Okay. We're at the docks now. Hurry up and go where you're supposed to. Then you have to give me my answer." Gippal stated simply. Rikku glared at him.

"That sounded like an order." She snarled. He bent down and leaned in closer so he was just her height.

"Maybe it was, Al Bhed Princess." Rikku felt his hot breath, and she shuddered, pushing him away.

"Seriously, brush your teeth more often."

"I'm all natural, though! You can't expect me to go against my beliefs, do you?" She glanced up to see him with a grin plastered all over his face. Wow. His first real smile towards her in years.

"For the safety of myself and others-yes." Rikku stated, sticking her tongue out at him. "Now come on! It's dock…4, I think he said."

Rikku had to admit, she was a little excited to see what the surprise was-and that it needed to be kept on a dock caused her to be all the more curious. Maybe it was a giant teddy bear! Rikku grinned excitedly. Probably not, but a girl could have her dreams.

"Come _on_, old man! I want to get there faster!" She tugged at his sleeve until he gave in and started off in a small trot beside her as she started to run. After a few turns and twists around people, Rikku found herself breathing heavily at the entrance to dock 4.

"Thank Yevon." Gippal muttered beside her. "Did you take the _most_ complicated path just to spite me?"

"Of course." Rikku remarked absent-mindedly, eyes scanning the dock.

Gippal straightened up and looked around as well. "So, what's the big surprise? Your own pretty pony?" Rikku punched him in the arm.

"Ouch! I forgot how much that hurt." He muttered, rubbing at his arm.

"Glad to remind you of it." She sighed heavily. "I don't see anything…" She ran up more and realized that towers of boxes covered nearly the whole dock—she guessed this was the import/export dock…everything looked sent in from somewhere else.

"Maybe it's one of these." She thought out loud, her finger pointed at her chin thoughtfully. She heard Gippal walk up behind her.

"And what? The one for you is gonna have on a big stamp "For Rikku; Love Cid" on it?"

"NO! I was _not_ expecting that." Rikku muttered, feeling her stomach lower slightly. Well, _he_ had just made her idea sound stupid.

Suddenly, the two heard low mutterings behind a wall of boxes. They sounded rather deep and-and threatening. She was just about to ask Gippal about it, when she felt his hand close over her mouth. She glanced back at him with round eyes, but he just shook his head and put a finger to his lips. Rikku grew stiff-he actually, truly, looked concerned. She gave in and decided to stay silent. Gippal led her over to the wall of boxes, and he motioned for her to squat down. She willingly did so, feeling a little ticked to be ordered around by him—but he seemed worried, so whatever.

"Ec cra rana oad?" (Is she here yet?)

"E tuh'd ghuf, pid ed'c dygehk vunajan...ra dumt ic du pa fyedehk vun ran..." (I don't know, but it's taking forever...he told us to be waiting for her...)

"CRICR, eteudc! E drehg E zicd raynt cusadrehk...crid ib." (SHUSH, idiots! I think I just heard something...shut up.)

Rikku stiffened at the words. Wait…those voices sounded too familiar to be frightened of…

She stood up suddenly, causing Gippal to give her an alarmed look. He frowned up at her, and she just shook her hand at him.

"Hello?" She asked tentatively.

"Rikku!" She heard Gippal hiss. She heard the conversation cease from behind the boxes.

"Rikku?" A voice asked. Soon three heads popped up from behind the boxes. Rikku nearly shrieked with happiness.

"Bilak! Lienn! Sunny!" Rikku gave a great big laugh and ran around the tower of boxes to the three men standing there.

"Rikku!" The one, Sunny, cried, giving her a great big smile. Rikku laughed out loud again and hugged all three. "I thought you guys had-had _died_!" She cried, tears of joy leaking out from the corners of her eyes.

The two others, Bilak and Lienn, grinned hugely at her.

"It's been _ages_ Ri!" Lienn cried, ruffling her hair. Rikku laughed.

"You guys haven't changed one bit!"

Sunny's blond hair reached down to his shoulders. A pair of goggles hid his green, swirly eyes, and he wore on a blue Al Bhed style shirt with black paints. He wore elbow high gloves and combat boots. Lienn's dark, nearly black skin allowed his spiked, blond hair to stand out. He wore a similar shirt to Sunny, but his was green and differently styled. He wore on just plain shoes and wore no gloves. Bilak was dressed in his trusty full Al Bhed body suit, with his blond hair just down to his ears.

"Hey, hey, but _you've_ changed!" Bilak said, pointing at Rikku. "Look at you: all grown up!"

A huge, loud, and forced cough caused Rikku to break apart from the hug with the three men.

"Who are they?" Gippal's voice asked, still filled with suspicion.

"Oh, oh! Gippal, these are the guys, along with Brother, who came with me on the boat when I was 15!" A pause met this. She sighed. "YOU left already. I went with them to go check out some ruins—this is Sunny, Bilak, and Lienn. You guys, this is Gippal—" She paused, trying to find the right word.

"—My acquaintance." She finally decided. Gippal ruffled her hair.

"You know, Cid's Girl, the word 'friend' isn't that hard to say."

"Maybe it is." Rikku said, glaring up at him coldly. Gippal raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing more.

"So, how'd you guys get here? How did you know I would be here?! How did you _LIVE_?"

Sunny laughed. "Well, first of all, Cid knew we've been around for a bit, and decided it'd be nice for you to see us again after so many years. He told us to come here and meet you here this morning. Secondly, we got here on the boat—"

"THE boat?" Rikku cried, her eyes glinting with excitement. Sunny held up his hand.

"And _thirdly_, we survived because, after that sissy boy was thrown off-"

"Hey." Rikku muttered, crossing her arms and giving him a pouty face. "He's _not_ a sissy."

Sunny raised an eyebrow, but went on. "After he was thrown off, you fell in with him, as you know. Us three stayed on the boat, too brave—"

"Afraid." Lienn butted in, elbowing Sunny. Sunny sighed.

"Fine. We were too _afraid_ to jump off, so we tried to handle the boat and keep it steady while Sin floundered around for a bit. After a few zaps from the electric crane, he kinda slunk off. After that we were all too tired to worry about _anything_, so we let the boat drift, and soon we made it to the base of the Calm Lands, and from there we made our way until we found Cid, and then he got our boat for us, and—tada!"

Rikku just kept grinning, excitement running through her. She had thought her friends died! She was so glad they had survived the attack!

"I just thought-I thought I would never see you again…" She wiped at her eyes, feeling stupid. She could feel Gippal's eye shooting daggers at her, but she chose to ignore his suspicious feeling.

"Don't cry about it, Rikku. We're here now, so there's nothing to be sad about, right?" Sunny asked, smiling and wiping away a stray tear of hers. She gave him a shaky smile.

"Now, how about seeing _the_ boat, Rikku?" Lienn asked, turning his head towards the water. Rikku turned to her right and gasped. There, floating calmly in the dock waters, was the good old, square, metallic boat of hers-one she had helped create.

"This is unbelievable…" She muttered, stepping onto it. As soon as she stood on it, she immediately felt at home-everything was good again. It was just like how it used to be—her, Sunny, Bilak, Lienn, and Brother going on a voyage—it had helped her so much get over Gippal. But after Sin attacked, she had thought her friends, or the boat, would ever show up again.

"She's the exact same." Bilak said, giving her a smile as he leaned against the railing. Rikku's eyes sparkled at him.

"She sure is."

"Uh—Rikku?" Gippal's voice called from the dock. Rikku glanced up-a little surprised to see him there. She had almost forgotten he was still here! With two quick steps she was back on the dock.

"What Gippal?" She asked, a little exasperated. She just wanted to explore the boat over, and talk with her old friends for a while. He was making everything awkward.

"Sorry to break up this lovely reunion—" He sneered over at the group of three men, talking quietly on the ship, "but I need to ask-are you coming to Djose, or not?"

Rikku glanced sadly at her three friends. "I-I don't know." She finally managed.

He sighed. "Rikku, you _said_ you would know by now—"

"GIPPAL!" She hissed, eyes flashing. "I've just met my best friends I haven't seen or heard of in over two years—I thought they were _dead_! You know how that feels? Well, it sucks, all right? Give me time to actually talk to them and spend time with them, and-and—" She stopped, a small smile creeping up on her face. She turned to run back on the boat, when Gippal gripped her arm.

"What are you doing?" He asked carefully, eye flashing.

"I'm going to ask them something!" Rikku said, rolling her eyes.

"Rikku-or should I say _Ri_-I don't trust them. Not one bit." Rikku looked up at him to see dead seriousness in his eye. She looked back at her friends, who were now laughing over something. Rikku looked up at Gippal with a disgusted expression on her face.

"Gippal! How _dare_ you say that about some of my best friends?! That not only insults _them_, it insults _me_!"

"Look, it's just that-well-didn't you hear them talking earlier? They sounded angry, sinister—I _know_ you were scared—"

"Well, yea, but I didn't know they were my _friends_!"

"That doesn't matter! You were scared all the same, and whatever intentions they have for you—they didn't sound pleasant, all right?"

Rikku heard pleading in his voice, and she smiled at him. "Are you—concerned for me?"

A red tinge creeped up the back of his neck and around his ears. "No. Of course not. I'm just _trying_ to be the smart one here, since one of us isn't even bothering to try."

Rikku glared up at him. "Do I _really_ want to work for you?"

"Yes." Gippal said, smiling lightly.

Rikku sighed and looked at her friends once more. "Oh yea! I had an idea!" She quickly ran down onto the boat to talk to her friends. She looked back to see Gippal roll his eye and lean against the boxes, while watching her closely.

"Hey guys—feel like doing an old friend a favor?" She asked. The three broke away from their conversation.

"Anything for Rikku." Sunny said, bowing. Rikku giggled.

"Anyone still know how to steer this baby?"

"How do you think we got here?" Lienn asked, smiling proudly with a thumb pointed at his chest.

Rikku just smiled.

"Can you give me and my-my friend a ride to Djose Temple? It's pretty urgent."

**A/N**: Heehee. That's right. I introduced new characters-I'm stupid and can't remember if Buddy was on the boat or not, so let's say he wasn't. Anyway, these three are just three other random guys I said were on the boat because I _DO_ remember three other guys on there, other then Brother. (I remember Brother was there because he said something in Al Bhed and that was cheap cus I couldn't understand and I clicked yes and he showed me the sphere grid AGAIN, and that got me mad and made me remember that forever). BUUUT, anyway, not much Rikku and Gippal, but I'm sure you'll survive. Just wanted to show that Rikku and the three had a pretty tight bond before. Notice how Rikku concedes in calling Gippal a friend later, even though he was suspicious of her friends? Hmm…poor Rikku can't make up her mind. R&R please!


	4. Hydrophobia

**A/N**: I can't leave this story alone—I'm becoming…obsessive…compulsive….-spasms-

**Rikku's Boat: Around Noon**

"Hmm…" It would be our pleasure, Rikku." Sunny decided, giving her a winning smile. Rikku grinned and gave him a quick hug.

"Thanks Sunny! I owe you guys!"

"How about just by telling us what you've been doing these past few years on the trip, eh?" Bilak asked, his eyes twinkling. Rikku smiled at him.

"Well---I _guess_…"

Rikku hopped off of the boat as the three men shared a chuckle. "Hey Gippal! I got us a ride to Djose…" She stopped slowly, stopping in mid-step. She raised an eyebrow at Gippal. "Err—you okay?"

"Huh-what? Oh…fine…and I-I heard." Gippal said, his eyes frozen on the skyline in front of him. His skin had taken a sickly pale color, and his eyes had grown hugely wide. Rikku could see his whole body trembling, and him trying to still it.

"You don't look fine to me." Rikku stated, her eyes narrowing and hands on her hips.

"You're not my mother." Gippal growled, closing his eye and leaning his head against the wall of boxes behind him. Rikku sighed.

"Come _on_ Gippal, just tell me what's wrong!"

"I-I'm not much of a seadog."

"Huh?"

Gippal opened his eye and glared at her, his head still leaning against the boxes. "I prefer land, all right? Are you happy now, your _majesty_?"

"You mean you're _scared_ of being on a boat?" Rikku asked, trying to stifle an eruption of giggles. This caused her another glare from Gippal.

"I like anything-air, land, underground—but I just _hate_ going on boats." He stood up shakily. "But now, that's none of _your_ business, is it?"

Rikku sniffed and turned her back on him. "Sorry I tried to _help_. At least I'm coming to work at Djose for you—"

"Augh…why did I hire you again?" He muttered, his hands clenched into fists. Rikku walked up and poked his nose lightly.

"It's because you can't bare to live without me!" At that precise moment the two heard hurried footsteps behind the boxes.

"Gippal? Gippal? Oh, I'm _SO_ sorry, Gippal! I didn't mean for it to turn out like that! We were just talking, and then suddenly—" A small sob escaped the person, "I would never mean to hurt you Gippal!"

"Well it's too late!" Gippal cried over the boxes. "You've hurt me already!"

Rikku cringed. It was that accursed Nhadala. _How_ had she found him? Just when they were about to leave…

"Gippal? _Oh_ Gippal!" Nhadala rushed around the wall of boxes and leapt into Gippal. He kept his arms frozen at his sides, glaring at her.

"Whaddya want?" He asked coldly. Nhadala looked up at him with sad eyes, and realizing he wasn't going to hug her back, took a step away.

"Well, I've been searching _all_ over Luca for you this morning—"

"Pity."

"AND I was calling out your name and my apologies and everything—oh Gippal I was so drunk! I'm _sorry_! I've liked-no-loved you for the _longest_ time! Please don't leave me…"

_Pff. What a put on._ Rikku growled inside, noticing the "fake" tears in Nhadala's eyes.

Poor Rikku. So filled with jealousy she forgot this was pretty much the scene when Gippal broke up with her-at least, that's how she acted.

"Love?" Gippal scoffed. "Love? Sorry, but when you look up the word love in the dictionary, it doesn't read 'Cheating on Gippal'. Nope. It's over Nhadala; and don't get mad at me-you're the one who started it."

"But—it's been almost a year, we have so many memories—"

"Well---_we_ have more." Gippal stated bluntly, wrapping his arm around Rikku's waist. She growled at him, but he sent her a glare and she fell silent. She noticed that the men on board had suddenly become eerily quiet. Rikku didn't want to look for fear of embarrassment, but she guessed they were watching this whole scene.

Nhadala glared at Rikku. "You, and—and—Cid's _daughter_?"

"Now, now, don't say it like it's a dirty word Nhadala 'honey'—just because it's not you." Gippal took his arm off of her (much to the disappointment—er—relief of Rikku) and instead squeezed her hand. Rikku nearly died. All this affection was a little too much-even if it was fake.

Nhadala sighed and looked up in his eye once more. "So it's—really over?"

"Because of you-yes." Gippal retorted. Rikku glanced up at him. No matter how much of a charade he put on, she could clearly tell he was sad to see her-and to break up with her. You don't know a guy for 16 years and not be able to read him like a book.

"Er—come on Gippal-the boat's waiting." Rikku tugged at his hand. He glanced down at her and nodded, and Rikku once again noticed his pale face.

"Yea—right." He stated, gulping. But before they stepped onboard he turned around and held his hand out to Nhadala. "I can't leave acting like a jerk, can I?" He asked, giving her a small, grim smile. Nhadala glanced up at him, shook his hand once, and stumbled away.

Rikku and Gippal watched her run away. Without realizing it, Rikku gave his hand a reassuring squeeze-he was hurt, and she could tell.

He glanced down at their still interlocked hands. "Well, well." He said, smirking. "Rikku, I never knew-"

Rikku glared up at him and ripped her hand away. "I was being _sympathetic_. Unlike you-I'm not your little puppet to use to your liking!" Rikku cried out, her eyes narrowing to slits, suddenly filled with rage at what he had used her for. "Next time, don't use me as your little self-esteem booster, all right? Admit it to the next girl that's broken your heart—you. Are. Hurt. All right?" She tried to squeeze all her anger and fury into her glare. Thinking he had enough to think about, she whirled around and ran onto the boat towards the three men.

After she had gone, Gippal sighed. "I wish I could tell her." He muttered, shaking his head. "I really wish I could."

Later That Afternoon… 

Rikku hummed a little tune as she leaned against the railing of the ship, letting the soothing waves splash around underneath her, and the salty air wrap her in its aroma. All afternoon she had been telling her friends of her first adventure. As much as she wanted to continue onto her second, they had had to go into the hatch to steer the boat…Bilak had said something else about plans, or—something, but she hadn't really been listening. She had just been moping over that they were leaving her, even though they had been separated for the longest time—and now she would have to be alone with Gippal.

She glanced to her right to see him huddled over by the crane, his face in his knees and his arms wrapped around his legs. She heard him muttering a familiar phrase in Al Bhed for safety—she smiled grimly. Boy, did he know how to make a girl feel guilty.

She walked over to him slowly and plopped down beside him, her legs spread wide in a "V" and her toes pointed upward. She rested on her elbows and glanced over to him. Just barely she could see his temple and his ear, his eye squeezed shut.

"Gippal—it's okay. You're _not_ going to die." He shivered.

"Cid's Girl?"

"Yea?"

"Shut up."

She grinned widely. "I'm just letting you know-the trip's gonna be a while, and I don't think sitting there will help anyone."

"It's helping me." He growled, his voice muffled.

"No it's not—it's just increasing your fear."

"Since when did you decide to start talking to me again?" She heard his voice come out strained. She sighed.

"Since you made me feel guilty for bringing you on this boat-now become un-afraid so I don't feel so bad."

"Hey-you can be scared of thunder and lightning, I can be—not comfortable with boats, all right?"

Rikku sighed heavily. "Fine. Be that way."

There was a momentary silence in which Rikku started humming the song again, braided a strand of her hair, picked at something underneath her fingernails, wiggled her toes, hummed some more, and other things that annoyed Gippal mercilessly.

"Will you _stop_?" He asked, grinding his teeth. "Some of us are _trying_ to forget where we are!"

Rikku smiled and poked at his arm. "Only if you stand up, okay? _Please_? Pretty please with sugar on top? I just want you to stand up, is all! One baby step at a time."

Gippal groaned. "What if I don't?"

"I—I won't work for you." Rikku knew it was a lie-but if she implied it in a serious tone, he just _might_ believe her.

His eye opened and glared at her. "Serious?"

"Dead." Rikku stated, nodding. He sighed heavily. Rikku could almost see the gears working in his brain.

"Fine. _Just_ standing up."

His arm reached blindly for the crane so he could steady himself. He unbent his legs and kneeled on one, his eye still clenched tightly shut.

"Come on, Gippal-it's all right." She gripped at one arm and lifted it slowly. He lifted up his kneeled leg so he was kind of standing/crouching. He raised his head a bit, which was a mistake. With a sickening thud it hit the bottom of the crane.

"Oh f-"

Rikku tugged at his arm. "Come on, just open your eye and you might not be so blind." Gippal opened his eye just a tiny bit, the eyelid fluttering. Rikku couldn't help but smile. She felt like a teacher-she was _helping_ someone!

His other arm reached out for the crane until both hands were clutched tightly to its comforting metallic sides. His legs unbent, and soon he was standing, though rather shakily, as the boat moved forward in the water. A small smile appeared on his lips.

"Hey! Hey! I can do it! I'm standing up on a boat!" He flashed Rikku a real smile, and she grinned back.

"Hey, the only way to get rid of your fears is to face them." Rikku murmured the words Gippal had told her many years ago. He seemed to remember too, for he flashed her –gasp- yet _another_ genuine smile.

For a moment, everything seemed normal. This was when another memory flashed through her mind.

"NO! Gipp-NO way in Spira am I going in there!" The two friends stood at the Thunder Plains entrance from Guadosalam.

"_Oh come ON Rikku, it can't be that bad!" Rikku could see a small smile on his face, which caused her frown to deepen._

"_Oh, it CAN be, Gippal! If your brother zapped YOU with a lightning spell and had to stay in the hospital for 3 weeks, I'm sure you would understand."_

_The 13-year-old boy just grinned at her and ruffled her hair. "But I'M coming in with you-there's abso-posi nothing to be afraid of!" Rikku shuddered. Her friend's presence was comforting, but—no._

_Her body started to tremble, and she clutched onto his arms. Memories of burning flesh, her flesh, screams, yells, ambulance, a hospital where her father sat in the corner crying—looking in a mirror to see her hair burned off so only a few inches remained…_

"_NO." She stated firmly, turning her back on the tunnel. "You're so mean to do this Gippal!" _

_She felt his hand on her shoulder as he approached her from behind. "The only way to get rid of your fears is to face them." Gippal breathed into her ear. She turned around so they were barely an inch apart._

_She grinned shyly at him. "Well, I'm facing one of mine right now." She poked at his chest, and he gave her a cocky grin._

"_Fine, I guess I'll have to go in alone." With that he turned around and walked into the tunnel, the rumbles of far off thunder ringing in Rikku's ears._

"_Gippal-no!" She cried at his retreating body. She sighed. "What a meanie." With that she ran into the tunnel after her friend, knowing that, deep down, he was using a stupid scheme to try and help her get over her fear. She smiled wryly. "What a friend." She muttered._

"_What a friend."_

A sudden wave lurched at the boat, rocking it back and forth angrily. Gippal let out a yip and gripped onto the crane once more. Rikku, lost in thought, felt her body being thrown into the air. She screamed as she saw the railing sail away from below her. She clawed at the air, but there was nothing to hold onto. Already she was sinking, falling far below…it was too late…the boat would already be ahead by the time she resurfaced…

Now she knew why Gippal was scared of being on a boat.

Her scream was cut off as a strong hand gripped at her wrist, cutting a thin line when it came to her survival. She glanced up to see Gippal leaning over the rail, holding onto her wrist. Even though he had on an expression probably far more frightened then hers, he pulled her back up and over the railing in one swift movement. Rikku's mind was still moving slowly—she had been an inch from what would most likely be death, and Gippal, deathly afraid of being on a boat, had jumped across the boat and even _leaned_ over a railing-just to save her.

Now _that_ took guts from a guy who was scared of just swaying gently on a boat, let alone having to run across while a huge wave nearly swallowed the thing.

She breathed in slowly. "G-G-Gippal?" She managed to stutter, looking up at him. His hands were clasped on her shoulders, and his eyes held relief.

"Oh, thank Yevon." He murmured, wrapping her in a tight hug. "I thought you were gonna die, Rikku."

Rikku sighed happily and gave him a hug back. "Me too. Thank you for saving me…if you hadn't been here I _would_ be dead." They broke apart and she gave him a small peck on the cheek, causing him to grow slightly pinker in the cheeks.

"Eh-it was no problem…" The boat wavered a bit as another wave came. This time both of them gripped onto each other for support—Gippal still afraid of boats, and Rikku still in the shocked stage of her near death experience. After the wave passed, the two looked at each other-sweaty, frightened looking, and clinging onto one another—and laughed.

**A/N**: Yay! I HAD to incorporate _some_ fluffiness! Kind of just a filler chapter, but I felt it was necessary. Oh, by the way, when Rikku tells him to say his true feelings when the next girl breaks his hearts, and he says he wishes he could—he IS talking about Rikku, I just didn't know if that made any sense or not. R&R please, it'll make my day SO much better than you think!


	5. A Confusing Morning

**A/N**: I know, I know…it's been forever. I just read this awesome R/G story, and now I feel hideously inferior. Eh. Whatcha gonna do.

I'm _trying_ to make it a bit more interesting—I'll try to go into more detail so you can imagine the scene better…sorry if I haven't been describing very well in the past…

Have fun reading!

**Rikku's Boat—Off in the Ocean**

Rikku's vision was blurry as she blinked her eyes open. Augh…had she been _sleeping_? She couldn't even remember what had happened…

A furl of frigid wind whipped over her body, causing her to shiver. Wait…wind…?

Something soft brushed against her eyelid as she struggled to keep them open. Wait…what _was_ that? She waited until her vision came into focus to discover what her head was snuggled into.

_What the…_

It took every nerve in her body to stop her from screaming out. Her head was tucked down beside Gippal's chest, her face buried into the ruffles of his clothing. She now felt that her body was squeezed into a small ball, yet still facing the straight body of Gippal. She felt a warm weight around her waist, and she could only guess it was his arm.

"G-G-Gippal?!" She hissed, her stomach clenching up in fear. If he had awoken some time during the night…

She struggled to lift her head up to look around their surroundings. The muscles screamed for her to stop—every inch of her body ached. Her eyes grew round as she saw that her and Gippal were snuggled up nice and cozy like…on the _deck_ of the boat!

The sun barely peeked over the horizon. The sky was a hazy orange color, reflecting off the waters surface, giving a murky look to it. The boat bobbed along lazily-giving the feeling of a swaying baby's cradle. Either it was just free-floating, or someone was steering down below.

_Okay. This is too much._ Rikku reasoned. What were the two of _them_ doing, of all people, lying together, all through the night, out on the _freezing_ deck of a boat?! Al Bhed's weren't built for this kind of weather…that's why she felt as if her body didn't even exist, it was so numb with cold. No wonder she had been snuggled up to Gippal-she had lunged for the warmest thing near her.

She rotated her body slowly, shivering as Gippal's arm stayed around her waist. Soon she had made it onto her back with disturbing the snoring beast beside her—thank goodness for that. She felt his arm lying on top of her stomach, causing shivers up her spine. For a moment, she didn't want to move.

When she remembered who she was lying beside. Her _ex boyfriend!_

She quickly forced the upper-half of her body to sit up so she could lift his arm off. She grabbed it before it could fall any lower.

Her hand reached out for the tip of his gloved as if it were a germ. She gingerly lifted it up and rested it softly against his own body, moving slowly and carefully as to not wake him.

And then she moved fast.

Quick as a flash she scurried back on all fours, knees scraping against the metal of floor, her hands tripping over each other from moving too fast backwards.

And there she stayed, in that position, for at least 15 minutes, still trying to make sense of all that she had been faced with this morning. What did the others think? Had Gippal known this was happening? Because if he did, she would never hear the end of his relentless teasings…

She was snapped out of her thoughts as Gippal shifted so his back faced her. She sighed with relief. Thank Yevon. That was a little weird…

The memory of his arm lazily wrapped around her waist caused her face to flush a deep crimson, even though there was no one there to be embarrassed in front of.

_Wait! Ew, ew, ew!_ The logical side of her brain screamed. Who knew how much she had snuggled up to him during the night-waking up with his chest in front of her face was enough for her to die of embarrassment.

"I need to get out of here." She muttered, shakily standing up. Going down into the hatch and snagging a nice warm blanket and some coffee sounded like an awesome idea…

With a last shiver she started to walk to the automatic door, when she paused to look back. Should she wake him?

…Nah, he might as well sleep while he can.

Rikku scurried down the metallic stairs, making sure to keep her footsteps soft so they didn't echo around the small room-she didn't want to let any of the guy's know she was there

Soon she heard the hiss of the door closing behind her. With a sigh and a small smile, she allowed the comforting warmth to seep into her skin as she finished descending the stairs. In the room there was a small table with 4 old chairs around it-the same ones as always, old metal frame with worn away read leather. One wall had the controlling system on it that had 3 big screens double the size of the one Shinra had. They all seemed the same as it though, with Al Bhed text scrolling in bright neon green with complicated diagrams on each. There were three plush chairs in front of each screen, with a large, connected keyboard with huge, flat buttons that blinked different colors. Speakers were sunk into the wall at each side, and Rikku saw all the wires hanging loosely from the roof. She sighed. These guys were never the organized type. The walls were shiny and metallic, just like everything else in the room. The only light were from the computer screens, and a small bulb overtop the iron table.

There were three doors to the left-one for the boys, one for her, and the washroom. She sighed, wondering if her room looked the same. With a shake of her head she stumbled over to the coffee machine near the small kitchen area. She felt another shiver crawl up her spine as she finished pouring the coffee. With a content sigh she sipped at the steaming liquid, a huge smile plastered on her face. She plopped down on one of the old chairs, her legs splayed out in "Y".

There were tons of piles of pages, all paper-clipped together. A small calculator sat at the side, and Rikku grabbed a random pile of papers, flipping through it slowly as she sipped at her coffee. Everything was written in Al Bhed, and it took her a few minutes to change back into Al Bhed mode-she had read in English for so long.

There was a silence except for the quiet humming of the computers as she read slowly through the pages, and as she read, her eyebrows furrowed together, a small frown tugging at her lips. She didn't remember her crew making plans like these…they had gone in search of ruins, and Sunny, Bilak and Lienn had all said that was their job…but what was this? Wanderings down near the Moonflow? And as she read, it said nothing about machina, _or_ ruins.

_The Boss wants you here by tomorrow morning with the tool…if not, you're in for a surprise, and it may not be good. I'm not supposed to help you, but I feel sorry for you-you have no idea what you're getting yourselves into. Follow this, and everything will flow smoothly-unless the tool seems to have some defects._

After this little note a large picture followed, quickly scribbled by a pen. It looked like the weather patterns near the sea by Djose Temple. Along with weather patterns of precipatation, the water currents were shown in vivid red ink. A little dot was shown bobbing on what was drawn as water…black arrows from the dot seemed to mark out a route on the complicated dots and lines, arrows and zig-zags…Rikku felt a head ache coming on, but she couldn't stop flipping through, trying to figure out what was going on.

And suddenly, something in her stomach knotted up…was it, _fear_? Rikku hadn't felt fear in a long time—not since, well…even fighting Vegnagun she had not truly felt fear-only an adrenaline rush, or something of the type…

The other pages continued to speak of a place near Moonflow, along with other diagrams showing routes through things, plans on defeating…a "tool" or something, an asset these people needed…but, who was in on all of this?

"Rikku?"

A voice snapped Rikku out of her trance. Without showing any emotion, she pushed the pile back to its place, which was only a few inches away.

Now she glanced up. "Sunny?" She gave him a small smile. "Hullo." She watched nervously as his eyes darted to the piles of paper, his eyebrows furrowed only a tiny bit.

"What're you doing?" He asked, his voice a bit sharp. Rikku shrank just a little, without even really knowing why.

"J-Just drinking my coffee." She answered; trying to make sure it didn't come out as a frightened sort of whisper.

He answered with a nod. "So…where were you?" She asked, eyes scanning the room, looking anywhere but Sunny. Was _he_ part of these plans that the papers spoke of? The attacks and whatnot that were written in step-by-step details? Did he know something of this tool? Rikku's memory flashed back to when Gippal and her had been having a-er-conversation.

"_I don't trust them, Rikku!"_

She shivered involuntarily. "Rikku? Did you hear me?"

She snapped out of her thoughts. "Huh?"

He smiled. "I said I was steering the boat-I've put it on auto-pilot for now." Her jerked his thumb in the direction of past the kitchen, where the steering controls were.

"I-I see."

After this followed a silence, where Sunny slowly filled a mug with coffee. "So…how was your sleep?" He asked, trying to hide a smirk-and Rikku knew it.

"Fine." She answered bluntly, not bothering to go into the itty-bitty details. Now she could see he wasn't hiding a wide spread smile. But it seemed—forced. Like he didn't actually want to be smiling.

"Something up?" She asked, a bit confused.

"Huh? Oh-nope. Nothing at all." He heaved a sigh and pulled a chair out across from her. He rested his elbows on the table and slowly sipped his coffee.

"Well, just one question."

Rikku felt a bit queasy, but laughed it off. "Fire away!"

"Well—how come-you know-" Rikku was surprised to see a red tinge in his cheeks "how come you're stuck with a guy like Gippal?"

Another silence followed this, only because the young girl was trying to comprehend what he was saying.

"Huh?" She asked, her answer to everything.

He blushed even deeper. "What I mean is, how come you're with…_him_? I mean, I think you deserve something better, don't you? He seems to tease you a lot, and it looks like he never believes in you or anything…" Rikku saw that his cheeks were flaming red, and she tried to ignore that.

She couldn't have one of her best friends having feelings or her. So she did what she always did when something happened she didn't want to-ignore it, until there was no other choice.

"Well, you know, he's not that bad…" As she sipped her coffee, the words she had stated clicked in her mind. With sudden second thoughts she nearly spit out her coffee all over the table. Sunny glanced up, slightly alarmed at the squirrel like cheeks she had from trying to keep the beverage in. Finally she choked it down, gasping for breath.

"Gippal? And me?! HA! _Please_ Sunny, I'm more mature than that! I wouldn't _ever_ go with Gippal!" She giggled incessantly, trying to forget what she had first told him.

"No need to worry! Gippal and Rikku are never said in the same sentence!" She stated with fake cheerfulness, never noticing the irony of her sentence. Sunny smiled tentatively.

"That's a re—"

He stopped in mid sentence and glanced, alarmed, up at the staircase. The sounds of someone running up the stairs caused Rikku to whirl around to see what he was looking at. But all she saw were the last fragments of combat boots disappearing through an opening door.

…………

Rikku stepped out onto the deck nervously, a large, pillowy quilt stuffed in her arms. She could barely hold it without it almost exploding out. The cursed thing was blocking her vision—but then again it might not be the worst thing. She didn't want to see Gippal lunging off the side of the boat in attempts of a suicide.

At that she felt her stomach drop. She felt terrible for constantly repeating that her and Gippal would never be together down in the hatch-clearly he took it the wrong way. Perhaps he had thought she was lying and had said they had never _been_ together…

_Lies, lies, lies!_ The voice sang in her head. Rikku chose to ignore it.

"Gippal?" She called, her voice quiet. There was no answer.

"Curse this stupid quilt…" She grumbled, struggling to lift one arm up to pat down the quilt loudly and more than needed.

"Gippal?" She asked again, angry to see the quilts edges bob back up in front of her view. "Okay, the deck isn't that big! If you don't answer I'll walk right into the ocean, and then I'll bet you'll feel pretty bad—"

"I'm right here." She heard a quiet answer. She swerved to her left and trumped off into the direction.

"Err—Marco!" She called, still confused of his position.

A small chuckle answered. "Polo."

"Coming!" She sang, running up to him. With a quiet thump she felt her body smack into his back.

"Oh. Hullo." She mumbled meekly, her face flushing red.

"What's that you got in your hands?" He asked, his voice lighter now.

"Oh, oh, oh!" She was so excited the quilt slipped from her hands and onto the deck. She blushed as she bent down to pick it up. But now it wasn't folded, so she scrunched up the top and stood up again.

"This is for you! 'Cause you know, I expect you'll be cold…"

_Aw geez._ Her mind muttered, knowing she had just given away that she had known he was out here. At least he might not know she had been out here with him.

"Hey, thanks Cid's Girl." He said, grinning. In one swift movement he had grabbed it and wrapped the old gray quilt around his shoulders. "Ah, that's better."

"I have a _name_!" Rikku muttered, folding her arms.

"Not to me you don't."

"Ooooooh…"

Rikku nearly blew up on him before he interrupted.

"Err—" Another silence. Rikku stopped and saw that his cheeks had flushed slightly pink.

"Yea?" She asked quietly.

"Do you even remember last night?" He finally blurted, his eye trained on the ocean waves to his left.

Another silence when Rikku tried to figure out a nice way to answer that question.

She couldn't find it.

"Ah-no." She answered truthfully, feeling her cheeks heat up. "I must have been so sleepy…"

"You were." Gippal stated. With a yawn he stood up from his sitting position. "Well, I-er-think I'll go get some coffee."

As he turned Rikku, dying with curiosity, finally blurted, "Aren't you going to _tell_ me what happened? Tell me how I ended up tucked beside you this morning when I woke up? On the _deck_? Huh? HUH?"

Gippal stopped in his tracks. He turned slowly around, and Rikku was slightly flustered to see a cocky smirk on his face.

"Well, well…snuggled up close to me, did you?"

"Ooooooh…YOU had YOUR arm around ME, so don't be getting' any ideas about how I feel, _buster_!"

Gippal turned slightly red, but then just shrugged it off. "Who am I to tell you your whole life story? I thought you were smart enough to remember it…but, you know, I guess it wasn't that important to _you_…" He trailed off, swerving around, and started to walk off once more.

"One night isn't my whole life _story_!" She cried, stamping her foot in frustration. "And what's with the emphasis on 'you'? I don't think you're striking the proper tone here!"

She heard a sigh coming from him, and he slowly turned around.

"Look, Rikku—"

Suddenly the boat lurched, waves lapping dangerously close to the top of the deck. Rikku went sprawling, and felt her arms automatically clutch around an iron pole from the deck's rail. Thank Yevon she hadn't flown off this time.

In a matter of seconds she felt a heavy body lean overtop of hers. Her stomach tightened, even at a time like this.

"G-Gipp--?"

"I'm not letting you fly off again." He muttered through gritted teeth, his hands enclosing around her small frail ones. Rikku felt much safer with his hands holding hers onto the pole.

But the dangerous rocking didn't float off, as it should have. Instead, it got rougher, and Rikku felt her legs slowly fly up, higher each time. Suddenly the door hissed open, and she heard the heavy clomping of boots. They stopped rather close to her and Gippal.

"What _is_ it?" She heard Gippal hiss. Her eyes were closed shut, in fear of seeing a huge wave coming to swallow her up. She felt the salty water lick at Gippal's hands, seeping through to her own. She grew rigid with fright.

"It's-it's-well-" She heard Lienn's voice, rather shaky, falter. Bilak stepped in.

"It's a fiend—a _huge_ fiend—and it's coming right for us."

**A/N**: Whew! Long, aggravating, and _hard_. Please give me good reviews, I miss them. It's been forever since I updated, and I'm sorry-I've had all sorts of tests and whatnot. I probably won't update for another6 days or so-I have a huge L.A. character sketch project.

Tell me what you liked, and why! Please, please!

Thankie!


	6. Protective of the Princess

**A/N**: Yes! I finished my L.A. It's 23 pages long. O.O Eek!

Happier news—Thanks soooooooo much for all the reviews! No one understands that those bits of writing make my day so much better! . Thanks!!

**PS**: I know that Rikku got over her fear of lightning-but I needed it to work-okay, I didn't, I just wanted to add it in there. Anyhoo, on with the story!

**Same Day, Later On-Rikku's Boat**

"WHADDYA MEAN IT'S HUGE?!" Rikku shrieked, eyes shut tightly together. "PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE LYING!"

The thrashing of the ocean waves had forced Rikku to scream, and she could feel her throat drying up from the salty air. She sputtered up a mouthful of sea water and began to cough. Gippal squeezed her hands tighter, and she grinned shyly at him.

"There's only one thing we can do!" Sunny cried, grabbing onto the railing to brace his body against the stormy waves, "we _have_ to fight it!"

Rikku moaned against her clenched teeth. _Fight_? Look at what it did just swimming, let alone _fighting_!

"Fine!" She called, pushing on the inside of Gippal's hands with her own, which told him to let go. Reluctantly, he did, helping to stand her up.

"You're going to fight it?!" Gippal asked, his eye wide with worry. "You're _crazy_!"

Rikku grinned up at him, her wild hair whipping around her head from the wind created by the waves. "I know, but I'm a crazy person!" She shouted back, grinning stupidly. With a wave she jumped off of the boat deck in one swift movement.

"RIKKU!" Gippal cried, seeing her body gracefully dive into the watery depths. Soon she vanished, paddling bravely against the strong undercurrents.

"What a _stupid_ girl." He muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. He would never go jumping in water to fight a fiend-anywhere else, just _not_ water.

"She'll kill it before _we_ get a chance!" Gippal heard Lienn cry, laughing. He watched, filled with some twisted, fascinated, horror, as the three men also jumped off of the boat and into the black water. He shivered, wondering just how cold it was.

"You're _CRAZY_!" He called after them, hands gripping tightly to the rail. "All of you!"

_Yevon, now I remember why I hate boats so much._ He thought, stomach turning and rolling just liked the ocean. _This is the scariest thing I've ever been on…_ A sudden lurch of the boat caused one arm to fly off of the railing. His eye widened in panic, and he quickly grabbed back on. Sweating, he stationed his legs shoulder width apart, bracing his body against the tides.

_This is going to be a looong wait_. He thought, dejected.

Rikku could have screamed as soon as the icy water hit her body. It was like rolling around in snow in nothing at all-but worse. She blinked her eyes rapidly, still amazed at her ability to be able to see underwater-and hold her breath for long periods of time.

_What have I gotten myself INTO_? She asked, quickly swimming against the undercurrents. _Am I seriously going to fight this thing alone_? She shivered at the thought, hoping at least one of the men on board was following her.

She struggled against the waves, forcing her body to keep moving. She wouldn't have guessed going on those journeys would help her physical strength so much-especially since swimming was one of her worst things.

She heard an almost hissing noise from below her. She froze in mid-paddle, eyes wide. What was that? She shivered as she heard another hiss, and took a big gulp.

_Well, here I go._ She thought, unsheathing her twin blades.

_I'll miss you, Gippal._ Rikku thought once more, wondering if she'd even make it out alive.

The young girl swam deeper down, feeling the insides of her ears slowly pop. Man, that was annoying. _Why_ did she have to be so reckless?!

There. She saw it. She gasped. It was huge. And when she thought huge, she thought _enormous, gargantuan; super sized, extra big, HONKIN huge_!

The thing seemed like an octopus-or was it? It had not eight tentacles, but ten-it had not two eyes, but what looked like 100…almost like spider's eyes. Its skin was a light pink, thought it didn't even look like flesh. It looked almost jelly like. And—that was freaky-deaky-on each side of the eyes were two large…_arms_?! Yep. Arms. With long, sharpened claws on the end that looked like they could kill Rikku in one swipe.

_Ohhhhh Lordy._ She thought, stomach knotting in fear.

_I'm a goner._

Lienn, Sunny, and Bilak swam along at a lazy pace, weapons hanging loosely from their hands. The strong tow of the current didn't bother them-thanks to a new gadget from the boss; they could swim through a whirlpool and manage to come out alive.

Sunny felt a _little_ bad for Rikku, having to try and fight that thing on her own. But remembering Gippal and her snuggled up close on the deck caused his anger to flare up again.

But he had to keep his cool-they all did. This little monster here was just another step of the plan-it was all intended.

But Sunny had a little plan of his own tucked under his sleeve.

A hand shaking his arm caused him to snap out of his daydreaming. He glanced down to see Rikku darting at the octopus, trying to hit the most vulnerable spot-the eyes. He couldn't help but smirk, and looked to see Lienn and Bilak chuckling just a little. She was pretty smart…but she couldn't actually beat that thing. He held out an arm as a sign to stay put: they weren't to go just yet.

Not yet.

Rikku yelped in pain as a long claw extended to slash at her arm. She glared at the retreating arm as she paddled away to heal herself up with a potion. Nervously she fumbled with her garment grid, trying to find the right dressphere.

_Machina Maw? No, it'll sink. Not Trainer, nor White Mage. Ack, why can't they have a DOLPHIN one or something_?! She cried in her mind, fingers trembling. This thief one wasn't working out-she needed something to attack it from far away.

_Aha! My Black Mage-hopefully it won't affect my swimming._ She gulped and quickly transformed into the black mage garbs. Holding her staff out in front of her, she collected the power flowing through her veins, sending it to her staff. She needed…thunder. Yea, lightning was stronger than water!

In a matter of seconds she did a little spin just for the fun of it, held her staff out, and sent a forceful jet of lightning at the thrashing octopus. She was giddy to see it hit right on target. The octopus seemed dazed for a moment, its tentacles waving lazily. Rikku grinned, despite the situation.

This would be _easy_.

_No, no, no!_ Sunny thought desperately, seeing her pulverizing the octopus with her magic. Whenever it was dazed, she charged up once more, sending another blast. The stupid creature never reacted fast enough. Sunny growled deep in his throat-he wanted his moment of glory.

And he was going to get it, no matter what.

Whirling around, he signaled to Lienn and Bilak to throw grenades right below Rikku. Without questioning him, the two fumbled in their pockets, seconds later bringing out the small bombs. Holding up his fingers until three were held up, the men chucked the grenades in the direction of Rikku, pins in hand. Praying, Sunny saw the bombs explode right beneath Rikku, causing her to glance down in fright.

Everything would be _fine_.

Rikku felt an odd tingling sensation in her feet. Glancing down, she gasped. Something had exploded beneath her! Without questioning what it had been, Rikku darted to the side, knowing what was about to happen. A burst of flame shot up in the water, right where Rikku had been floating. It heated up the water around it, causing Rikku to feel her skin prickle. With a sigh she smiled as the explosion wore away. She had moved just in time…

Now back to the octo-something clawed at her back before she had a chance to finish her thought. The creature! With having to dodge the explosion, that _stupid_ thing had had enough time to come out of its daze! She gasped as she saw a tentacle reaching out for her from below, and another from above. She hurriedly glanced to the right and left, but with no surprise, a tentacle was swarming towards her from each. She started to paddle away, but a tentacle wrapped easily around her middle, the other three grabbing her legs and arms. With a bubbly shriek Rikku tried to pull away, knowing these tentacles could crush her in a second. But the thing just _wouldn't _let go! Rikku struggled helplessly, feeling the slippery tentacles slowly smushing her body with each passing second. She was doomed.

Sunny could have danced a happy dance once he saw the octopus awaken from its daze. With a sense of pride he watched the fiend grab out for her, wrapping her body tightly. He felt a ping of pity watching her struggle, a look of utter terror on her face.

He glanced back to see Lienn reaching for the controls on a hand held remote-the thing that would drive the beast away. Sunny grabbed for Lienn's arm, motioning for him to wait until Sunny gave him the signal.

Confused, but obedient, Lienn stopped from pressing that good old, obvious, round red button. Sunny swam quickly towards Rikku's prison, feeling his heart jumping around in his ribcage.

This was perfect.

Rikku could have cried with happiness as she saw through her blurry vision, Sunny swimming her way. She struggled even harder, knowing her friend would be no match for the monster.

But Sunny just calmly swam up to thing, resting an arm on an outstretched tentacle. Rikku froze, eyes wide with wonder.

_What is he DOING?!_ She thought. But her eyes closed wearily, the pressure of the tentacles just too much.

Sunny glanced back at the girl to see her eyes closed, body floating lifelessly within the tentacles. Good, good. He waved at Lienn, who willingly pressed down the button.

A roar echoed around them. Sunny clapped his hands to his ears, the noise was so deafening.

But it seemed like music to the monster. It stopped gripping at Rikku, and Lienn pressed the button again. A good old, sea monster mating call. In one swift movement the creature was gone, swimming speedily into the deeper depths of the ocean. Sunny felt his chest swell with pride at his invention-it had worked like a charm. Glancing down he saw Rikku beginning to sink down. He calmly paddled down to her and grabbed her frail body in his arms. He grinned widely, knowing she would practically worship him once she awoke.

He began to swim back towards his friends, waiting impatiently for the return to the boat.

………………..

_Gippal and Rikku had talked all evening after sharing a laugh. Gippal had now gotten used to sitting down on a boat, and lifted his head up now. Him and Rikku sat down beside the crane the rest of the evening, watching the sunset slowly, casting a purple glow on the waters. The man had felt at peace, at least for a moment, with Rikku-for so long, it had been painful to be in her presence._

_But she just…didn't know why he had to break up with her. If only she understood, things might have been completely different between them…_

_"Look! A shooting star!" Rikku had cried out, tugging at his arm. Gippal grinned and looked up, just barely seeing the tail of the star flying away. Rikku giggled happily, reminding Gippal of old times._

_Rikku yawned and laid her head on Gippal's shoulder. He felt his spine shiver at her touch, but shook it off._

_"Tired?" He asked quietly, looking down at the top of her head. God, she was beautiful with her hair down…_

_"Mhm." Rikku answered sleepily, and he saw her eyes flutter._

_"Well, it IS pretty late." Gippal stated, realizing his own exhaustion._

_"Oooh, but I don't wanna sleep yet!" Rikku cried, sitting up straight with a grin plastered on her face. "I'm not REALLY tired, really—" _

_Gippal gasped slightly as, out of the blue, Rikku's body fell limp, and her head fell softly onto his lap. Seconds later loud snores could be heard from deep within her. Gippal couldn't help but chuckle._

_"You were always odd." He muttered quietly. Suddenly, feeling like a little boy doing something naught, he lifted a trembling hand. He let out a quiet giggle. GIGGLE? Whoa. Weird._

_Slowly he laid his shaking hand on her head. With a sigh of relief he saw she didn't stir. Then, slowly, ever so slowly, he began to stroke her hair. It was a quiet night, and Gippal breathed in the ocean air deeply. He remembered doing this with her all the time—it had always calmed her down when she was in a state of fear or sadness._

_"Oh Gippal…" He heard her muttered. He felt his hand fly off of her head, his eye darting nervously._

_"Err-yes?" He asked, blushing madly. Slowly she rolled over on his thigh so her face was looking skyward-up at him._

_She gave him a sleepy smile and let out a yawn. "Did you know that I love you?"_

_These words nearly caused Gippal to have a seizure. "W-W-What?!" He asked, feeling his whole body tense up. She was clearly dreaming-she was so sleepy, he barely believed her. And yet…there was always that tiny glimmer of hope…_

_"Yea. Pretty weird, huh? Considering you dumped me, left me for Nhadala, and than strut around like everything's all right…" She yawned once more and stretched an arm. "But there's just some thing's you can't help, eh?"_

_Gippal realized his tongue was bleeding from biting on it too hard. Was this ACTUALLY happening? Rikku had just blurted she loved him, and she had stated true facts like it was nothing…but he knew she was still near sleep. She could never truly act so lazy with a statement like that._

_"Uh-yea. Weird."_

_"Do you love me?"_

_"Err-uh—I guess so." He answered stupidly, blushing like mad. She grinned up at him and sat up shakily, resting her head under his chin. These few sudden bursts of affection were really starting to confuse Gippal._

_"Uh-Rikku?"_

_"Mhm?"_

_"Are you still sleeping?"_

_"Probably." She grinned up at him, eyes shining. "I probably won't remember this tomorrow-but you know, I hope you do." She leaned up and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. It lasted for only a second, because the young girl soon pulled away, eyelids already closing over her swirly green eyes. _

_But as she lay there on his lap, lost in sleep, Gippal was awake: and giddy. Had she just kissed him? Yes? Yes! This was GREAT!_

_"But she probably won't remember it…she must have been REALLY tired…" He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Delicately his fingers found themselves on his lips, touching the place where she had kissed._

_Suddenly he shook his head, giving himself a cocky smirk. "Knock it off, Gippal. She was probably dreaming…it's not like she actually has feelings for you again."_

_If only, if only…_

The young man could have cried out in joy as the tumulus waves began to disperse, and the ocean surface started to even out once more. Slowly, he pried his feet off of their position on the deck-he felt his tense muscles and groaned. How long had he been standing in that position for? His hands ached, and his body was shivering with cold: the splashing waves had soaked him.

"Al Bhed are _not_ made for this." He muttered, stretching an arm wearily. "Hopefully Rikku's…still alive."

As if on cue, a wild splashing from the watery surface caused Gippal to, nervously, of course, gaze down into the water. He let out a small gasp as he saw Sunny arise to the air, carrying a very pale, bruised, and limp looking Rikku. Lienn and Bilak soon surfaced after him, glaring up at Gippal.

"Well? We're _freezing_! Send down the ladder!" Bilak called up at him rather grouchily.

Gippal shook his head, escaping his eye from the terrible looking Rikku.

"Err—ladder-right." He mumbled, pivoting around on the heel of his foot. Eye glancing nervously around, there was an awkward silence. He then spun back around.

"Where's this ladder?"

Bilak sighed heavily, causing Gippal to grow red. How did these guys always make him feel like a small child who'd broken the rules?

"It's hanging on the edge. You just have to _toss_ it." Lienn stated, smirking. "Or is that too _tough_?"

Gippal took two angry steps towards the ladder, glowering all the while. He threw the ladder forcefully over the edge, causing a loud splash. "I'll show _you_ tough, you big-mouthed, snobby little—" Gippal muttered under his breath, taking a few steps away.

Sunny emerged first, and it was then Gippal went slightly pale. Rikku looked so-so helpless. He wasn't used to seeing her like this. She was always so bouncy, strong, and full of life. Now she looked-he hated to say it-dead. Sunny carefully laid her down on the deck, brushing back her golden bangs. Gippal felt a slight ping of jealousy rage through his veins. Eye narrowed slightly, he glared at Sunny.

"What happened?" Gippal's voice came out rude and abrupt, but right now he could care less.

"She went to go fight the fiend-"

"No duh."

Sunny glared at him. "And we went to go _help_, unlike some little boys."

Gippal felt renewed anger fight its way up to his head, but Sunny continued on with a little smirk.

"She was getting beat up pretty bad, so I went in and chased the fiend away with a handy Al Bhed machina. I rescued her, for she was now floating limp, and we came back. It was pretty tough, but then again…some are capable, and some aren't, eh?"

He gave Gippal one last withering smile before he glanced down at Rikku.

Gippal closed his eye, breathing carefully. He must _not_ lose his temper; he must _not_ lose him temper…

"I'm going to have to do CPR." He heard Sunny's voice say. Gippal stopped in mid-meditation, shocked beyond belief.

"_What_?!"

"I'm going to have to do CPR-she took in lots of water to the lungs. But you wouldn't know that, would you—Gippy?" Sunny's lip curled, and Gippal glared back.

"If you touch her in _any_ way that's out of order, I swear I'll—"

He stopped, breathing heavily. God he hated this kid. Who did he even think he was? He didn't even know _why_ Gippal hadn't come down.

_Because you were a chiiickkeeennn._ Sang a voice in his head. Gippal refused to listen to it, and instead, watched in disbelief as Sunny bent down over Rikku. Gippal felt his breathing get shallower as Sunny closed his eyes and pinched her nose. For some odd reason Gippal felt jealousy as never before, realizing now Sunny was going to have to lock lips with Rikku, filling her _his_ oxygen—

As Sunny finally rested his mouth on top of hers, Gippal watched carefully, his eye narrowed and trained on Sunny like a Mother Hawk. If he took _one_ toe over the line…

Gippal unclenched his hands, not even realizing he had been holding them so tight, for now blood from his fingers was starting to leak out of his palms.

Hmm…wait a minute…Sunny wasn't even taking his mouth off of Rikku…

Gippal felt his stomach knot up as he saw Rikku's arm twitch lightly. She hadn't taken in any water at all! That Sunny-freak-twisted, bloody, freak—

"Get _OFF_ of her, you PERVERT!" Gippal roared, eye flaring with anger. In one swift motion he had swiped Sunny off of Rikku with an easy whack of his arm. Sunny went flying into the deck railing. With a moan he glared up at Gippal.

"What are you doing?!"

"She doesn't need stupid CPR!" Gippal cried, grabbing Rikku around the shoulders and under the knees, lifting her up easily.

"You're just taking advantage of her because she's not fully around!" His eye was filled with an anger not seen by many people-if it had been; they usually never lived to tell about it.

Sunny smirked up at him. "Are you saying—"

"Oh, you KNOW what I'm saying!" Gippal cried, gripping Rikku tighter. "I'm only staying on for Rikku's sake, but if you EVER, _EVER_ touch her AGAIN, I will rip your head off and shred you to pieces!"

Rikku let out a soft moan, and Gippal's little spaz moment was cut off as he looked nervously down at her. With one final angry glare at Sunny, Gippal strode over to the hatch door, kicked it open with a force unknown to even himself, and trotted down the stairs with Rikku still in tow.

The door closed with a loud hiss. Sunny rubbed at the back of his head as he stood up shakily. He then gave Lienn and Bilak a nervous smile.

"We didn't know you were going to do _that_, Sunny." Bilak stated, his voice a little hurt.

"Yea, she didn't swallow no water."

Sunny rolled his eyes. "Come _on_ you two, I was taking advantage of the little boy! He thought I was doing CPR, but…oh no…" He smiled at them, eyes flashing.

"I've just helped Rikku onto the…right path, you might say."

**A/N**: There. An update. Took a long time, but I have writers block. Any ideas? Email me! I'd appreciate it! Thankies! Now Review. –poke- I love them to bitsies.

PS: Now you know what happened the other night when Rikku woke up beside him! Yaay.


	7. The Truth Hurts

**A/N**: No reviews? That hurts. –sniff- I decided to go ahead and write because I'm tired of waiting for you all to read my last chapter. And personally, I liked it…a lot…

I am now depressed. Such an odd feeling.

All well.

**Hatch of Rikku's Boat-Late Afternoon**

A groan escaped the lips of Rikku, who had been set down in a pile of quilts by Gippal. As soon as he had come down, he had to admit he was a bit impressed, at her living and all,but he had no idea what to do with Rikku. So, he grabbed a number of blankets from the closet and laid her body down in the warm, comfortable folds…hoping she'd awaken soon.

"Rikku?" He asked, a bit more hopeful then he had wanted it to come out.

"Mhm?" She mumbled, eyelids fluttering open. Gippal let out a sigh of relief, and even though he would have preferred not to have one, a huge smile plastered on his face.

Rikku yawned, her mind moving at the pace of a snail. Where was she? Down in the hatch…in a pile of quilts? There was Gippal…she felt slightly wet, and she could smell the subtle scent of salt lathered onto her body…

"Oh no!" She cried, sitting up straight. "The fiend! What happened? Did it—"

The sudden memory of being encased in the octopus's tentacles sent a shiver down her spine, but she forced herself to remain cool. She slowly turned to Gippal for answers, a little surprised to see his eyebrows furrowed together and a deep frown set on his face.

"Err-Gippal?" She asked timidly. She heard a sigh escape from his lips. Casually he set his head into the palm of his hand, a seemingly bored look on his face.

"Sunny got it."

"Huh?"

"_Sunny_. Killed. The. Fiend." He answered dully. She thought she had seen a glint of anger in his eye, but soon it was gone. _Must have imagined it._ She thought.

"Could you elaborate on that?"

"He went down. Killed the fiend. Came back up with you and—and—" His clenched hand trembled slightly, but she didn't notice it.

"I took you down here." He finished lamely. Rikku eyed him with suspicion, but asked no further questions.

"I should _really_ go up and thank him! I mean, I saw him, but I fell unconscious right when he touched a tentacle…Brave fellow…"

"What?" Gippal asked, sitting a little straighter, eye narrowed on Rikku. "Tell me what happened down there." He stated forcefully. Rikku sniffed and looked in the other direction-she didn't like how Gippal was being so bossy! She'd tell him if she wanted to…wait. Why was she being such a jerk?

Eh…might as well have some fun.

"What if I don't want to?" She asked snobbily, smothering a grin as she looked the opposite direction of Gippal. She snuck a glance to see his mouth hanging open slightly, a look of utter confusion on his face.

"Huh?"

"What if I don't _want_ to tell you what happened?" She asked again.

"Oh, sorry-am I asking something a little too private?" He retorted with a snarl.

"What?"

"Did you and _Sunny_ have a little smooching fest or something down there, while I waited up here for what seemed like _hours_, WORRYING about you?!"

It was Rikku's turn to stare at him open mouthed, with a look of confusion.

"What in _Spira_ are you talking about, Gippal?!" She glared at him as if he had just grown an extra arm and it was waving hello to her.

"Well-well—" Gippal spluttered, sighed, and ran a hand through his hair—which wasn't so spiky lately, now that he didn't have his constant supply of hair gel.

"You were _worried_ about me?" Rikku asked incredulously. Gippal bowed his head and answered with a feeble sort of mutter.

"What?" Rikku asked, louder. Gippal glared at her, a pink forming around his ears.

"I said _yes_!" He hissed, eye a slit. "Are you happy now?"

"No." Rikku stated back, feeling her stomach give a nervous sort of jiggle. He had been worried about her…but what was all this junk about her and Sunny?!

"Whaddya want now?" He asked grouchily.

"WHY you thought Sunny and I were have a 'smooching fest' as you like to call it!" Rikku was standing up now, arms crossed at her chest. Gippal too was standing up, an equally, if not more, disgruntled look on his face.

"Because-Because-well Rikku, open your _eyes_! Can't you see what Sunny wants?!" She saw that Gippal's face was a light shade of red…from embarrassment or anger she couldn't tell.

Rikku wracked her brain but couldn't find an answer-at least not one Gippal was looking for.

"What does he want? What does he _want_?! Don't be so stupid, Gippal! He wants us to make a safe journey to Djose, have some fun spending time with me again-and that's THAT!" She stomped her foot childishly, eyes flaring. Boy, this guy could make her mad!

"SAFE journey? Safe journey my-my _foot_!" Gippal bellowed, eye narrowed. "Get a _CLUE_ Rikku-he doesn't care about us getting to Djose, or just catching up with you again-he wants something MORE! He-he wants _YOU_ Rikku, alright? So quit beating around the bush and look at him! Have you even _seen_ him? Every time he's drooling over you! He can barely keep his EYES off of you, okay? It makes me _sick_, the way he's pretending to be the friendly boy next-door! If you hadn't been unconscious…" Gippal trailed off, fingers rubbing at his forehead slightly, a look of aggravation and confusion written all over his face.

Rikku was stunned-no other word for it. Was Gippal out of his rocker?! Sunny didn't like her! Of course not! Gippal wasbeing such an idiot…such an over-protective, overbearing JERK who thinks he can be the only one to come within a 10-mile radius of Rikku! The _nerve_ of that guy!

"Look Gippal," She said in a dead serious voice "I don't want you pickin' on my best friends anymore, alright? You're not the only guy who can talk to me, ya know?!" Her voice rose a bit at these words. "Yevon, ever since this stupid boat trip, you've made me feel like some caged animal! Like I can't even go and talk to my friends I haven't seen in _TWO YEARS_! You're being such a-such a—" She glared daggers at him, trying to find the right word.

"You're such a _BABY_!" She finally decided.

Gippal just stared at her, as if the words she had spoken were a foreign language. "Baby?" He asked hoarsely, and Rikku felt her stomach somewhere up by her ears, "Baby?" Gippal repeated, eye round.

"Fine. You know what? I'll be the 'baby'. Whatever." He waved a gloved hand at her, and Rikku felt even worse. "I'm sorry I'm trying to point out obvious things that'll later get you killed…I'm sorry I was being nice to you, and trying to-to save you." He shrugged and blushed lightly at this, but that was all.

"I'm _so_ sorry I cared." He stated sarcastically, glaring at her. With that he whirled around and tromped off into the steering room, where he slammed the door so forcefully, it knocked a stack of papers off of the table.

"Ohhh no." She moaned, sliding slowly to the floor. "Oh no, oh no, oh no…" What had she done?

_Well, it's not just you-Gippal started the whole thing about Sunny liking you-pff! What a loser!_

_But…Sunny did seem kind of jealous this morning…_

_AND Gippal's saying they're dangerous-what's up with that?!_

_Don't you remember those papers you were reading this morning? About a plan? And how odd is it that an octopus fiend comes along, so huge and so freakish…and Sunny can just send it away with a single touch?_

_You just don't want to admit the truth-your friends aren't who they say they are._

"No!" Rikku hissed, pulling at her hair. "They _are_ my friends…they would _never_ betray me…not like Gippal thinks, anyway…"

The doorway above the stairs hissed open, and Rikku hurriedly glanced up, her hands immediately clenching together. She let out a small, all too cheery laugh as Bilak stepped lower.

"Bilak! Hullo!" She grinned up at him, feeling like the biggest loser in the world-she really needed to work on her acting skills.

He gave her a curious face, an eyebrow quirk, but asked nothing.

"Hullo Rikku."

"What were ya guys doin' up there?"

"Trying to figure out where the fiend came from." He answered quickly…a little _too_ quickly…

"Cool! So-er-did you guys go down with Sunny? To the fiend?"

Bilak gave her a slow nod. "U-huh."

"Really? Thanks soooooo much!" She cried, clasping her hands together and giving a fake giggle.

_What is WRONG with me? Why can't I act normal around him anymore?_

"No problem…"

"How'd you guys figure out how to get rid of it?"

"Er—a little Al Bhed gadget."

"Cool! What did it do?"

A pause greeted this. "Stuff." He coughed and hurried onto a different topic. "Where's that other guy? The-er-angry one?"

"Angry one?" Rikku asked stiffly, feeling her body tighten. "Whaddya mean?"

"Well-uh-he kinda blew up on Sunny on the deck…punched him round the head and all…"

"PUNCHED him?!" Rikku shrieked shrilly, trying _very_ hard not to feel guilty.

"Well, not exactly punched, more like a swipe of the arm into the boat railings…"

Rikku felt the blood rush to her head. "Thanks Bilak." She stated coolly, straightening her scarf. "Now, if you don't mind, I think I'm going to go and have a little talk with…or anger management student." With that she swerved around and strode quickly over to the steering room door, a look of determination written all over her face.

…………….

"I did what you asked, Sunny." Bilak said breathlessly as he ran back up on deck. "She was seriously mad—went to go yell at that guy."

"Good." Sunny stated, his voice distant, his hand rubbing thoughtfully at his chin. "Good." He repeated quietly.

"Err-what was that for, anyway?"

"To get her _sympathy_, you dolt! Really!" Sunny sighed and threw his arms up in exasperation. "To make her come easier, we want her to be on _our_ side! We heard them having an argument-that blasted _boy_ is trying to make her believe him. He's a little too quick for my tastes-and strong." He added, wincing as he rotated his neck.

"I still don't understand why you kissed her…like that." Lienn stated sullenly, a kind of sulky glare on his features. "I mean, right in front of the boy? And-well-she doesn't even know it happened! Doesn't that seem kind of mean?"

"Mean? No, no, Lienn-I did it _then_ so first of all, the boy would be angry, and Rikku would have a reason to want to be on our side-you know, being mad at him already, and then hearing he beat me up is a pretty good way to learn to dislike someone. Secondly, I did it when she was unconscious…" He just gave them a grin.

"Don't worry…there was a reason."

…………………….

"I mean come _ON_ Gippal! Swiping at him?! JUST after he saved me? Seems a little unfair, he must have been so weak after all that fighting and swimming!"

"FIGHTING? I bet he just pressed a button and his little invention just flew off!" He glared at her angrily, not knowing how close he was to the truth. "Why'd you come in here anyway? To pick another fight? Sorry Cid's Girl, but I don't feel like fighting right now, alright?"

Rikku, though she felt like blowing up on Gippal, instead lowered her eyes. "You're right." She mumbled, kicking the toes of her right boot into the floor. Gippal heaved a sigh, and Rikku snuck a glance to see him leaning against a wall, arms crossed over his chest. She felt a shiver as she realized his eye was trained on her.

"Are you _ever_ going to tell me what happened down there?" He asked suddenly. Rikku stood a bit straighter, glaring at him.

"Why?"

"Because it sounded suspic-er-interesting when you said Sunny just touched the thing and you immediately fell unconscious."

"Oh my _God_, Gippal…"

"Can you jest _TELL_ me?" He finally asked, a bit louder than Rikku would have liked.

A silence followed this as Rikku hurriedly tried to make up her mind. "Fine."

And thus, the young girl told Gippal all about her journey down into the water, even her confusion about the right dressphere, and the detailed description of the fiend. Of course, she couldn't help but practically act it out, almost forgetting her and Gippal were at a tense stage right now.

To Rikku's disappointment, at the end of her story-telling, Gippal let out a snort of laughter.

"What's so funny? Don't believe me?" She asked with a slight pout.

"Oh no Cid's Girl-I believe you. Just that…" He shrugged, and Rikku felt her curiosity growing.

"Tell me!" She whined, giving him a pleading look.

"'Maybe I don't _wanna_." Gippal retorted in a high-pitched, just as whiney voice. Rikku giggled and punched his arm lightly.

"Just tell!"

"No."

"Come on!"

"No thank you."

"_Pleeeaase?_"  
"Why Rikku, I never would have thought-"

"Oh you _sicko_!" Rikku cried, making a gagging noise and taking a step back. "Don't-augh! Just-come on, tell me—"

Without even thinking, Gippal grabbed Rikku around the waist and spun around with her very quickly, knowing soon…

"GIPPAL!" She shrieked out with a bit of giggle. "Stop it! I'm going to be _sick_…" Gippal slowed down to just a few steps, a huge smile plastered on his face.

Rikku felt her stomach starting to settle after being spun around madly by Gippal. She had _not_ been expecting his warm hands to grasp her waist. But she loved it all the same.

"Gee-thanks Gippal." She muttered, glaring up at him. "Don't be complainin' when _vomit_ gets all over your brand new clothes…"

He just grinned at her, and Rikku realized for the first time in a long time how white his teeth were…she wondered how they stayed _so_ white…

"I don't buy new clothes," he finally murmured, snapping Rikku out of her thoughts, "as I said in Luca, I prefer to stay all natural."

Rikku just grinned up at him sheepishly, realizing first of all, his hands were still wrapped around her waist, and secondly, the two were oddly close…

"So are you going to tell me?" She finally managed, feeling his warm breath on her face. Wow, that one word had taken quite an effort.

"No."

Gippal must have noticed the blush rising in her cheeks, for he gave her a cocky grin.

"What's the matter Princess? _Scared_?"

"Of what?" She snapped, though she wasn't angry at all. Instead she felt rather nervous-her stomach was twisting and forming itself in all sorts of complicated knots.

"Me." He breathed, watching her carefully.

"Er-no." She lied, realizing she was actually rather frightened of him from time to time-his quickly changing personality that went from happiness to anger in a moment, having fights with him, not to mention his overall _hotness_ unnerved her a bit…

"I'm sure." He murmured even quieter.

"Well I'm not the only one who's scared of the other!" She retorted, face now as red as a tomato.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Gippal asked, his voice a bit more sharp then before.

"Well…at least _I_ can handle a real relationship!" Rikku snapped, feeling the hatred she had had for him these past years rise to a boiling point again.

And, just to infuriate Rikku more, Gippal grinned.

_Smile?! Why SMILE?! I'm talking about when you broke up with me, you DOLT!_ She screamed inside of her head, body seething with anger.

"You may be able to handle a relationship…" Rikku felt her heart start to pound again as Gippal got closer…their noses were almost touching…

"But can you handle this?"

And before Rikku could object, shriek, pull away, or even rip at his hair, Gippal's lips were on hers before she could say the word Spira. Her eyes widened as she felt the familiar softness of his lips, so tender…

And she realized—she was kissing him right back!

_NO! STOP RIKKU! STOP! …This is going to cost you…_

Letting out a contented sigh, Rikku flung her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Right now, she didn't care if it was going to cost her…she didn't care if she hated him even more after this…right now she just needed some comfort…she needed Gippal back.

Rikku heard him give a barely audible moan, and she couldn't help but almost smile. So he was enjoying this too…

The door suddenly slammed open, breaking Rikku and Gippal's lips apart-though both still clung onto each other as tightly.

"Oh-so sorry. Am I interrupting something?"

_Yes! Yes you ARE, Sunny!_

"No." Gippal finally stated, pulling his arms away. Rikku reluctantly did as well, suddenly remembering, though this wasn't perfect timing…Gippal had kissed _her_. After breaking up with _her_. After dating someone _else_.

_He DOES love me, I just KNOW it!_

"I—see." Sunny stated, a small smile playing at his lips. Rikku just planted her hands firmly on her hips, watching him with narrowed eyes. She snuck a glance at Gippal to see him blushing slightly…she probably was as well.

"Well-so sorry if I did—"

"You'd _like_ that, wouldn't you Sunny?" Gippal finally cried, his voice louder than it had been in a while. Rikku was slightly taken aback, and she glanced up at Gippal questioningly. But Sunny didn't seem to surprised-on the contrary, all he did was quirk an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

Gippal took a few steps closer, and Rikku realized this was one thing she was scared of-Gippal becoming angry. Which, he was becoming right now.

"You'd _love_ to break up something Rikku was doing just to stick your big nose in on her business, eh? Just to get as close as you _possibly_ can to her!"

Sunny blinked a few times, and Rikku could almost feel his confusion. "I have no idea what you're talking about…Gippal, is it?"

He growled in response, eye flashing. Sunny just gave him a smile. "I suppose that's a yes, then."

Rikku took a few steps meekly over to Gippal and tugged at his arm. "Gippal?" She asked quietly, and he rounded on her—but then his eyes softened as he saw her, and Rikku felt a little braver.

"What are you talking about…"

"This-this-" Gippal was pointing a trembling finger at Sunny. He didn't care anymore if he had promised himself not to tell Rikku about what he had done-he was sure she would feel very invaded-he didn't care about trying to keep her safe-he just wanted her to get so—mad at this guy…

"This _monster_—"

"I'm a human, thank you." Sunny interrupted coldly.

"You didn't _ACT_ like it!" Gippal bellowed, his hand automatically sliding to his gun holster-Rikku watched the hand with nervous eyes.

"Gippal…" Rikku muttered, now completely confused, "what did he do?"

"ASK HIM YOURSELF!" Gippal yelled, eye still stuck on Sunny. The man started to look rather nervous, his eyes a bit rounder than normal…

"What did you do Sunny?" Rikku finally managed, and she felt her suspicions arousing-stupid Gippal had finally convinced her to be a bit suspicious…now that she remembered those papers she had read on the desk…

"What did you _do_, Sunny?" Rikku repeated, eyes flashing.

"Absolutely nothing." He answered. "Rikku, do you actually think I would—"

"HE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF YOU!" Gippal interrupted, eye wild with anger. Rikku could tell he was having difficulty controlling his temper-this must be pretty big.

"What do you mean?" She asked coldly, feeling her insides twist.

"He-He used your body!" Gippal choked out, eye finally looking at Rikku. He saw her eyes widen, and he immediately felt sorry for telling her. He clasped her hands without thinking.

"Rikku-I'm sorry…" He muttered. Rikku just shook her blond head, and he saw something he didn't normally see-firey anger.

"SO." Rikku cried, rounding on Sunny. "WHAT DID HE MEAN BY THAT, SUNNY? HUH?"

Sunny stayed silent, his eyes watching her carefully. She didn't get an answer, so she turned to Gippal. "What did you mean?"

Her eyes were now starting to slowly fill with tears, but she didn't bother to brush them off. She was angry-sad…confused…used her body? How?

"W-When he carried you back on board…he had said your lungs had filled with water. He said he needed to perform-er-CPR…"

Rikku's eyes widened, and she touched her lips gently, a look of horror on her face.

"And-yea. He didn't get off you for the longest time…I swiped at him…"

But Rikku no longer looked horrified. She looked even more angry then before-she looked evil. Rikku was hurt. Of course. One of her 'best friends' had-had _kissed_ her…while she was unconscious, of all things!

"You-You-" She swerved over to face Sunny, who now looked slightly frightened.

"YOU-" She strode over to him, feeling an anger she hadn't felt in a long time.

"I can't BELIEVE YOU! SICK, TWISTED, PERVERT!" She screamed, voice shrill and eyes glistening with tears.

In one swift move, the girl had raised her hand, and concentrated all her anger into it. After that, she felt her hand swat against his cheek, a force she hadn't exerted out of it in a long time falling upon his cheek. Sunny staggered, hand clutched to his cheek.

She glared down on him, breathing in to feel taller. He stood up shakily.

"Look, Rikku-"

"DON'T TALK TO ME!" She screamed, tears now falling freely.

"I _TRUSTED_ YOU-" She gave him another hard slap.

"I _FOUGHT_ FOR YOU-" Rikku willingly slapped him again.

"AND I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY _FRIEND!_" She gave him one final slap on the same cheek, eyes squeezed shut.

After this came a silence, where Sunny's cheek was now burning red, blood slowly trickling down. She heard Gippal give a low whistle, and she whirled around to see him smiling…

"He-er-smirked about it." Gippal stated, and Rikku heard his tone was a hopeful sort of one. She whirled back around to face Sunny, and instantly did the same move on him she had on Gippal back in Luca-one good, hard knee to the stomach.

"Oof!" Was all Sunny managed, staggering out even more.

"That's what you get for messing around with Rikku!" She yelled, pointing up to the staircase behind Sunny. "Now go back to your little cronies and tell them I want off _NOW_!"

"Please, don't—" He tried to say, but Rikku cut him off with a glare only Medusa could best.

"_Now._" She hissed menacingly. Sunny gave a small whimper and whirled around, running up the stairs. Rikku stood stone still as she heard the hiss of the door open and close.

Then came a silence.

"Rikku?"

She turned around to see Gippal, with a-what was that? A concerned look on his face?

No…couldn't be…

"Whoa-are you _crying_?" He asked in a rather surprised, and awkward voice.

Rikku felt her face, and discovered it was wet with tears. "Well-" she gave a pathetic sort of chuckle "will you look at that…"

And then she burst into sobs. Without even understanding why, she slid to the ground, crying her little heart out. She was just so—confused. Why had he _done_ this to her? Those men she had thought were her friends…and Sunny had violated her body…

Suddenly shefelt two strong arms lift her up and wrap around her shoulders, holding her close to warm chest.

"Don't cry…it makes me feel slightly awkward."

Rikku gave a hicuppy giggle and dug her head into his chest. "I just-I don't get it…"

"I liked how you slapped him." Gippal stated, and Rikku knew he was smiling.

"Thanks. It felt kinda good."

She felt her arms wrap around his neck, and the two were lost in a comfortable silence.

"Err-about earlier…"

Rikku knew he meant the kiss, and she looked up at him. "Yea?"

"Are you-mad?"

"Hmmm…not yet, but I'll probably bring it up when we're in another argument." He grinned.

"Thanks. I don't even know what came over me…"

Rikku just smiled shyly, and he did so back.

"Does it really matter?" She asked, resting her head on his chest.

"Nah…not in my book."

**A/N**: AAK I TOOK FOREVER SO SORRY!

But no one barely reviews my last chapter-I am sad. But I added some Gippal and Rikku fluffiness! Yay! Oh, and I added a slap-actually, quite a few, in there, just for you skyhopper!

Review PLEASE, it would make me much more happy than I have been lately…


	8. My Hero

**A/N**: Yay! Thanks or the reviews! And I shouldn't be so greedy and sullen, I'll stop complaining because you guys probably hate me by now for it. .

Can't wait to get this story rollin! I have some vague ideas…and YES they are FINALLY getting off of the ship. Woohoo!

**Hatch, Rikku's Boat**

Rikku and Gippal had escaped from the steering room as soon as Lienn had come in, by order of Sunny-or Rikku, more or less, to get them to Djose _immediately_.

And even though the two had just kissed, just hugged, and had a romantic moment…neither decided to take it too seriously. It'd be just a little awkward, thinking they had to be in a relationship again. But even though she said nothing, Rikku's heart was still thudding in her chest.

Gippal had chosen to kiss _her_. She didn't feel so desperate now, because he was _just_ as desperate, she knew it!

Rikku now stood at the table, flipping angrily through the piles of paper. She still hadn't gotten the anger out of her heart…stupid Sunny, and his stupid boat, and his stupid little plot…

As if to answer her thoughts, Gippal finally asked "What do you think they're gonna do?"

"What?"

"Well, I mean, they obviously took you on this boat for a reason, sent the fiend here for a reason…" He set his hands on the table and looked at her squarely in the eyes, causing Rikku to feel like she was being inspected.

"To put it simply, they want something from you."

A silence greeted this, Rikku none all too surprised.

"Well, I figured that, but I don't have anything…"

"It doesn't have to be a material object, Rikku! Something you have…a good singing voice? Excellent cooking skills?"

"Gippal!" Rikku cried, shoving his arm lightly. "Can you _try_ to be serious?"

"I can _try_, yea…"

"Gippal!" She finally hissed, her finger rested squarely on a sentence on the page she had just been reading. "Gippal, look at thi—"

Her sentence was thrown off as the boat seemed to hit a turbulent wave. With a not-so-gentle lurch, the boat sent Rikku skidding across the table, right into Gippal's arms.

"Err-hullo." She said shyly, grinning up at him. Gippal just smirked back, lifted her off of the table and set her on the ground.

"I think you need to work on your balance."

"Uh-right. Balance-yea." Rikku brushed at her skirt with her head down, too embarrassed to show her face incase Gippal teased her endlessly about the patches of red growing on it.

The boat rode quietly for a few moments, and Rikku, momentarily forgetting about what she was going to show Gippal, starting to braid her hair into one thick braid. After all, Gippal had changed to sit at one of the three computers, and was typing a mile a minute.

All the text scrolling on the screen confused the young girl, whereas Gippal seemed to be lost in it. Shaking her head slightly, Rikku headed over to her bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Came Gippal's voice-almost automatic. Rikku wondered how he had known with his face glued to the computer screen.

"To my room-I wanna see if my mirror's still in there, I need to check my hair."

Gippal swerved around the chair so that he was facing her. He squinted his eye and nodded.

"Yes, I see a few stray hairs at the top."

"Who asked your opinion?" She muttered, turning away and starting to her door again.

"Oh, but Rikku, I'm the hair _expert_! Who WOULDN'T ask me?"

"Rikku." She muttered under her breath, though she couldn't help but allow a small smile to escape her lips.

Slowly she turned her old door handle, feeling the familiar bends where her fingers had pressed into many times. She hoped Lienn would drive the boat faster; she wanted to get off of this god-forsaken---

"Oh…my…Yevon…" Rikku cried softly, dropping her quickly done braid so it swung to her back. Rikku's green eyes were round with shock, her mouth almost as circular.

"Rikku?" She heard Gippal's voice ask. "What's going on?"

"Something…my room…" Was all she managed, still staring at it.

What had they _DONE_ to it?

Instead of her comfortable, worn old bed, a small dresser, and the large mirror, the room was a mess. Her rug was replaced with a hard, cold metal floor. Her yellow walls-now just stripped bare to show a dull gray. Grease, dirt and muck smeared the floor, tables and walls. Tools and all sorts of things lay helter-skelter all over the room. The room smelled heavily of a strong diesel gas.

All her furniture was replaced by sturdy, drilled into the wall metallic tables. And on these tables lay—

"Bombs?" Came Gippal's hoarse voice from behind her. Rikku jumped a little, but was glad Gippal hadn't seemed to notice.

"Yea—bombs." Rikku stated quietly, gazing at them in a horrified awe. Making grenades her whole life, she had to admit-these bombs were good. Really good. She could see wire had been inlayed carefully, the timer stuck serenely at the top. Bolts and screws were in all the right places. The bombs were a round shape, only the size of Rikku's palm. Subtle, yet strong.

"That's—wrong." Gippal finally mustered, and Rikku could hear that his voice was sort of strangled. But she ignored it. What were Sunny, Lienn and Bilak doing with _bombs_?!

Oh. Yea. They were evil. Right.

Rikku took a step about to go explore the hundreds, maybe _thousands_ of bombs lined up on the tables. But a strong hand gripped firmly at her arm, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"Gippal!" She cried, whirling the rest of her body around and tugging on her arm-though of course, it was useless. "Let me _go_!"

"What? So you can get yourself _killed_?" He hissed, his eye-nervous? Naw, couldn't be. Trick of the light.

"What do you _mean_?"

"I mean that—well, it's weird! They get rid of your room, a place you're likely to visit if they got you again, and decide to fill it with bombs! Rikku…don't go in. I don't trust them."

"Gippal, I know this boat-they wouldn't put it in danger of being blown up by bombs-it wouldn't be able to stand this many. Even if one blows, it starts a chain reaction…this boat would be a goner."

She could see his eye squinting at her. It was kind of uncomfortable, not to mention her arm was starting to get numb from his vice-like grip. Couldn't he just let her go? She knew the boat-even if she didn't know her friends. They wouldn't risk killing themselves.

"Fine. Go play." Gippal finally spat, releasing Rikku in a rather gruff manner. She sniffed, forcing herself not to show that his grip had actually hurt.

"Okay. I _will_." She gave a slight huff, ticked off at Gippal. She was only a year younger! He couldn't control her life and decide what she was going to do! She wanted to investigate these bombs, and she was _going_ to.

She heard Gippal walk away, and suddenly she felt very alone. She missed her room…she wanted to see all her old furniture. It seemed larger now…the door was very far away from the bombs. With a heavy sigh she took two tiny steps in, Gippal's warning still echoing in her head-just barely. Only barely.  
Yea. Not booming, of course. Just…barely…

Nothing happened. She took another step. Silence.

Another step. More silence. Another. Yet again, silence.

She broke into a huge smile. "Gippal, you were wrooooooong!" She sang, doing a little twirl.

"Really. Congratulations." Gippal stated dully, and she was surprised to see him standing in the open doorway again.

"Thanks." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Watch this!" With a grin she gave a little leap. Silence.

She did another, along with a twirl. Suddenly, something quiet was beeping to her left.

Rikku felt her stomach knot up. She shifted her eyes to the left to see…

The bomb on the top. It was…flashing. Glowing. Emitting a loud beeping noise…but to Rikku, it was dull. Everything was silent—even the scream that erupted from her mouth as she turned to run. It was going to blow.

She couldn't remember if she had yelled that—but she had screamed something, for Gippal gave her a scared look, and he was running…running to her…

She felt his arm wrap around her waist, the other wrapping around it the opposite way. With a sickening feeling she felt herself lifted off the ground…Gippal's curses were silent—so were her screams, and the tears that fell from her face were numb.

And as Gippal dove through the open doorway with Rikku, it seemed as if everything came back alive. She felt the cold thud of the metallic floor, heard the scraping noise against her skin.

The beeping came back to haunt her ears-but it would soon stop. She let out another scream—but she was tight in Gippal grip.

And then it came. It erupted….a boom, a hiss…more bangs. A chain reaction, as Rikku had stated earlier. That room would be nothing, this, this _boat_ would be nothing…

_They_ would be nothing.

The last Rikku saw was her bedroom door flying off of its hinges, and flames…flames racing towards them, hungry for their flesh.

And then she fainted.

……………………..

"Rikku…Rikku _please_ wake up…" The girl heard a voice pleading her name. She let out a moan-or tried to. Her throat was clogged with something…

She sat up straight like a board, coughing and hacking. The thing in her throat was large and it was taking over. Her breathing was becoming short, and her eyes were watering…

"Here." A hand thrust a small bottle to her lips, pouring a burning liquid down her throat. She began to cough more, feeling the liquid singe her mouth….

It stopped. Abruptly. She didn't cough anymore. The liquid had burned whatever was in her throat.

"Smoke. You must have gotten a lungful."

Rikku's eyes blinked numerous times, her focus becoming sharper soon enough. She saw Gippal sitting beside her, a relieved grin on his face.

"Oh Gippal!" She cried, lunging to hug him, and be in his arms once more.

"Whoa! Stop!" Gippal yelled, holding his hands out, which caught Rikku rather painfully around the waist area.

"Owwie! Gippal-what?"

"Sorry Cid's Girl." He said with a grin. "But a flimsy metal board like this floating on the ocean isn't the safest thing to hug on-as much as I'd like it."

Rikku ignored the last bit, her eyes gazing down to where she was sitting. Her and Gippal were sitting cross-legged on a rather jagged sheet of metal-it looked like the side of her boat. A part of it anyway. The ocean waves surrounded them, occasionally lapping up onto the metal to send a shiver through her legs.

"Explain." She stated grimly, her eyes scanning for the boat. It wasn't there. Of course not. It burned. Because of her. Her and her stupidity.

"Well, I remember we were laying outside of the door, and I was trying to get you up, but you were limp. You went unconscious. So I heaved you onto my shoulders and just ran up the stairs like a madman. The flames were burning the clothes on my back…I'm sure my hair is singed off." He touched it gingerly, but continued on.

Sunny and what's his face weren't on deck-the three had run. They left the ship…they _knew_ you were gonna go in your room sooner or later, so they took a lifeboat and just jumped ship. Bastards. Anyway, I didn't know what to do, because the bottom half of the boat was starting to groan, and some of it was already gone. There was smoke and flames everywhere. So, I just grabbed a piece of melting metal from the deck floor, threw it on the water below, threw _you_ on it, and then jumped on myself. I paddled it away as fast as I could, but I was near death. So I just kinda let it float away…and the boat exploded-and-and sank." He shrugged, as if it had been nothing.

Rikku, on the other hand, was staring at him wide-eyed.

"You-you saved my _life_."

"Well-I had to save mine ya know…Cid would have killed me."

"That has nothing to do with it!" Rikku cried, a huge smile cracking on her face.

"Oh, thank you _SO_ much Gippal! I owe you my life-literally!" She gave him a huge grin, carefully bent over, and hugged him tight. "You were so brave…it must have been so scary…"

"Well-no. Not really." Rikku heard a hint of hope in his voice, and she pulled away, wagging a finger at him.

"Nu-uh, Gippal."

"I think I should get a little _something_ for saving your life!" He cried.

"Later." She said, giving him a small wink.

She felt her insides were still rolling around in her empty shell of a body. He had saved her. Gippal had risked his life for her…it was amazing. It seemed like one of those stories you hear heroes doing all the time.

But it was true.

"Gippal-you're my hero." She finally stated, closing her eyes and giving him a wide smile. She didn't seem him blush, nor him giving her a big grin.

"Naw-"

"YES. Now no more arguing."

"Fine. We'll forget about it for now."

"Until you bring it in a later argument to use against me."

"Yea, that sounds about right…"

Rikku let out a soft giggle, her eyes struggling to leave Gippal's handsome face. They finally did so, and she gave a heavy sigh.

"There's water _everywhere_…where do we go?"

Gippal was rummaging around in his pocket, and finally pulled out a COMmunicator.

"Does it still work?" Rikku asked tentatively, hearing her stomach give a low growl. She was still so amazed…an inch away from death, and Gippal had rescued her.

She truly felt like a princess being rescued by her prince. She gave a small smile, only to be interrupted by Gippal.

"I think it still wor—hey. What are you smirking about?"

"Oh-uh-nothing." Rikku said hurriedly. "So-it still works?" She asked, changing the subject.

Gippal watched her for a moment longer, but than gave up, fixing his attention back on the COMmunicator.

"Yea…I'll try to contact someone."

For nearly an hour Gippal fiddled around with the thing, speaking into it and only hearing static in return.

"Augh, they'll wonder where I've gone…" He kept muttering, his hand occasionally running through his hair…which was nearly flat now.

Rikku thought it looked kinda cute-almost boyish. The blonde, ragged hair near his ears, flopping over his eye…

Oh yea. The perfect picture of hotness.

"Gippal to base…Gippal to base." He muttered for the millionth time. Rikku, who had been fiddling with her thick braid, glanced up quickly as a voice came from with the COMmunicator.

"Base to Boss-Base to Boss. This is Suttin speaking."

Rikku was glad to see a genuine smile plastered on Gippal's face. "Suttin! It's Gippal-I'm in er-a-fix."

"What do you mean?" Came the crackled reply.

"Well-uh-I'm stuck out on the ocean." He admitted rather quietly, as if he didn't want Rikku to know. But she did, of course- she was stuck out here _with_ him.

"Stuck in the _ocean_?!"

"It's a long story. Look, send out subs, send out planes…give me everything you've got Suttin. I need to get out of here _now_."

"Yes Sir. Any idea of your location?"

"Coordinates…." Gippal murmured silently, gazing around their surroundings. Rikku continued to watch him intently, lost in him. Which seemed rather dumb to her…but whatever.

"Er-southeast of Djose? I dunno, but send in all directions-I'll explain later."

"Yes Sir! But-uh-may I ask the urgency?"

"Well…how do I put this? I'm _STUCK_ in the _MIDDLE_ of _NOWHERE_!" Gippal cried into the microphone.

"Oh-er-right!" And then the man—what was his name, Suttin, was gone.

Rikku gave a giggle. "We're going to be saved!" She cried, clapping her hands.

Gippal was silent, his eye trained to their left as he slowly slid the COMmunicator back in his pocket.

"Maybe not…"

"Huh?"

"GRAB ONTO THE BOARD!" He roared, his knuckles turning white from his grip on the metal. "High wave coming!"

Rikku gave a small squeal, feeling her hands clutch onto the sides.

"We're going to be swallowed!" She screamed, seeing the large, no, HUGE wave climbing higher.

"Well what can we do?" Gippal yelled back, sounding just as scared as Rikku.

"Hey! I got it!" She cried, fumbling in her pocket. She held out the White Mage dressphere triumphantly.

"Hurry!" Gippal cried. Rikku changed herself into a mage, and held her staff out. She felt her knees shaking on the flimsy metal.

"PROTECT!" She screamed, using one of the abilities given to her mage dressphere. A network of small red lasers in the shape of a ball enveloped her and Gippal. She concentrated every fiber in her body into the shield. The wave was coming closer, and it looked so dark and menacing…

_NO! FOCUS!_ Screamed the voice. Rikku squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the magic in her veins sliding up into the staff to power the shield. It was coming closer, she could hear it roaring…

And then it was gone. She felt the heavy weight of it collapsing on her shield-but she held strong, pushing her staff even higher. It had slid over the shield like harmless liquid. It dissolved into a small wave, soon becoming barely a ripple. Rikku felt the dressphere fading away-she had used up all her magic. Rikku hadn't realized she was standing, but soon felt her body crumple down so she was lying flat on her back.

"Thanks Rikku!" Gippal cried, looking over her. She gave him a shaky grin.

"Need…rest…" Was all she managed, before she fell into a deep sleep to replenish her system…that shield had been the strongest yet, and it had saved her life.

……………………………

Rikku let out a yawn like a lion, feeling water gathering in the corners of her eyes. She shook her head a little, glad to feel refreshed and happy once more. Man, had that thing been hard to summon-

There was a rustle around her. Rikku glanced down to see she was in a…a bed? A bed?! Not lying, cold and hungry on a little metal sheet that was always in danger of getting swallowed by waves?!

She gave a loud whoop as she bounced out of the bed, only to find herself in a small, circular room. She gazed around at all the pottery and random bits of machina, before she heard the metal door open up. She jumped back, surprised. Only to see Gippal coming in, his eye focused on the tray he was carrying, which held a small bowl of soup…

"Gippal?" She asked, happy to see him. Weird. She hadn't been happy to see him in a _looong_ time.

"Wha?" He glanced up quickly. Too quickly. The tray rattled in his hands, and it slipped out of his grip and crashed onto the hard tile floor. He gave a small shrug, patches of red growing on his cheeks.

"All well." He turned his attention to Rikku. "Cid's Girl! Glad to see you awake!"

"What was that tray for?" She asked suspiciously, planting her hands on her hips.

Gippal ran his hand through his hair, (which was gelled back once more), a bit embarrassed.

"Uh-er-"

"Have you been _nursing_ me?!"

"Only because you haven't been awake for FIVE whole days! If someone hadn't fed you, you would have _died_! Someone had to feed you…"

Rikku grinned crazily at him, and, for the second time that surprised her, she ran up and hugged him tightly.

"That's _twice_ you've saved my life." She pulled away to see him giving her a cocky smirk.

"Someone has to keep track of you."

Rikku just gave a heavy sigh, glad to be back on land.

"Hey, that reminds me—where are we?"

Gippal quirked an eyebrow, spreading his arms widely throughout the room.

"Cid's Girl-welcome to Djose Temple."

**A/N**: Whoo! Lots of action! Stupid men for bailing the boat. Tsk, tsk, they had it planned all along.

Took me a while to update! So sorry! And thank sooo much for reviews!


	9. Gippal's Secretary

**A/N**: Eep! I was supposed to start this yesterday, but I got distracted…-cough-RupertGrint-end cough-

So-here it is! The two are back on land and lovin' it!

**PS**: Sunny and his cronies are bound to be back! And this chapter is in Gippal's P.O.V. So it's words like "I" and "me", etc.

**Djose Temple**

_Why_ did she have to look at me with such an annoyingly cute expression? Why can't she be ugly or something, so I can actually hate her? But instead, she's standing there, goggling at me with those adorable green eyes. As if I'm so heartless that I wouldn't feed her!

Well…I think I gave myself that reputation, so I probably deserve to be so annoyed.

"Djose?" She asked. "As in, on land?"

"No, in the sky." I replied sarcastically, bending down to start picking up the shattered tray. I heard her walk over, and soon saw her starting to pick up pieces.

"You don't have to-"

"I think I need to help a little." She replied with a smile. Yevon, that God-forsaken _smile_!

"All righty then." There was silence except for the clattering sounds of us picking up metal and throwing it in a nearby bin.

"How'd we get here?"

"Well, Suttin sent out subs and all that stuff I told him too, but it was an airship that found us. And, well, they took us back. Two days later, and you're awake!" I had just happened to forget the part about me being ambushed by my workers yelling at me to start working, and the hideously large pile of work I had to do while she was still asleep. All well. I stood up slowly, my back slightly aching from being bent down for so long. I gave her a small smirk. "Had enough beauty sleep now, Princess?"

"I think I'll manage." She replied darkly, glancing around the room. "So is this my room for the job?"

I looked around as well, noticing the large, dead machina that had been thrown in this back room over the years, the random bits of sheet metal and broken tools. I knew that smell of oil was hanging thick in the room. Probably not the best place to live.

"Err-once we fix it up." I stuttered, striding quickly over to a square window probably the size of my head. I just realized how unhygienic this temple is.

Whoa. Since when do _I_ care about things being hygienic?

I quickly opened the small window, which was a bit difficult, seeing as the window had been glued together for the past million years. Dust spilled out as I opened it, and coughs started to escape my throat.

I forced them to stay down. I have to stay cool-act like a _man_. This is Rikku-I can't cough now!

Wait, why is coughing such a big deal? Augh, if she had just not been half-asleep that one night, I could be my old self…

"Fix it up?" She finally asked, snapping me out of my repetitive thoughts. "As in, get rid of all this machina? Make this room mine, with decorations and stuff?" I could hear a hint of excitement, and I caused the smile on my face to become a cocky, attitude-infested smirk.

"What? Gonna fill it up with _dollies_ or something?"

I saw her face glowing a light hue of red. "Yes. Dollies are my _favorite_." She replied scathingly, and I had to hide a chuckle that was bubbling up in my throat.

"Can we start today?"

"Today?" I asked, startled back to my senses. Today? But, she was still so weak, after using up all her energy in a shield like that…and me, I had _tons_ of plans to do. Being gone from the Faction for so long had its limited freedom, but it also meant coming back to piles and piles of paperwork.

"As in, right now?" She whirled around, and me, being the love-sick git I am, fell for those stupid, round eyes of hers. Of course, that cute little dimple-y smile had its bit in my decision…

"Fine." I stated, before I even realized what I was saying. She seemed a bit surprised too, for her eyebrows raised a height higher than normal.

"Serious?"

"Err—" Well, I couldn't really back down now, could I? "Yea. Sure. But it better be quick, I have lots of work to do."

"Aww, Gippal!" She moaned, grabbing my arm. I felt a shiver run up my spine, but forced myself to remain cool.

"What?" I asked.

"You're only 18! That's barely an adult! You shouldn't be working so hard, that's for later on in life, when you're like, old and wheezy. Like my Pop!"

I couldn't help it. I laughed. Not a long, hard, fist-pounding-on-the-floor laugh…just a snort of laughter.

And yet, she was right…I just escaped from my teenhood, and felt adulthood. Is this all it was cracked up to be? Responsibility weighing you down so much you feel like a rock? Never having a spare moment of time?

"I can handle, Cid's Girl. That's where you and I differ."

I walked quickly over to an empty tub and started to throw random tools into it, hoping to get this over with quickly.

"Whaddya mean?" She asked. Odd. I swear I could hear something in her voice other than annoyance or anger…was that…hurt?

"Nothing." I replied shortly, feeling my cheeks heat up. "Just forget it." I grabbed for the nearest thing to me and chucked it at the bin. I heard it clang inside, and then there was silence.

"No." She replied sternly. I heard her striding over to me and lifting my head up by the collar of my shirt. I stood straight, and realized I was probably 2 or so feet taller than her. Wow, was I tall. Or she was short.

"I wanna know what you mean." She had on a sort of pouty expression, mixed with anger. It was an odd sort of emotion for her to have written on her face. It didn't suit her at all.

_Whoa, Gippal. Quit thinking like that._

_Roger._

"I was just saying…well, you seem to have more of a thing for parties, you know? You like the wild, adventurous life where you're always on your toes…you know, no worries, always with friends to consult. But it's different for me. It's the same over and over, no excitement, no adventure. I sit here, day after day, doing paperwork and telling people what to do. I never get to work on machina, which was the point in the first place. Instead I have to help little losers who seem to need to learn how to walk and talk again-they come to me for every. Little. Thing. And, well, because of this _exciting_ life I lead, I've had to learn to take action to problems and get more responsible quicker than I should." I gave a shrug, as if I hadn't just spilled half of what's been weighing me down lately on my ex-girlfriend.

She gaped at me. "So you're saying I'm _immature_?!"

My eyes widened slightly, and I almost glared down at her. But I forced myself not to. Don't make it worse Gippal…do something _different_ for once…

"No, Rikku, I'm not." I sighed heavily, suddenly feeling my head pang as if I had the world's biggest migraine.

"I was just saying I have a really long, tough, and dull job where I need to keep everything in order. You don't have to be a leader, or a teacher, or a supervisor. You get to do what you want when you want. I can't. That's all." I bent down once more and started to throw more tools in the bin. Man, how many _were_ there?!

The next even was one I was least expecting. I heard her bend down so she was kneeling. A stray stand of her hair brushed against the side of my face, and I froze. My eyes sidled over to the right so I saw her kneeling body, and her face looking, (what?), concerned. I gave a start, turning my head to face hers.

Her hand grasped mine, and I felt my blood chill. Things were a little out of whack.

"I didn't know you had so much on your plate." She whispered, brow furrowed in worry. I tried to shrug, but due to nerves it came out as a pathetic sort of wiggle. I blushed, but she hadn't seemed to notice the wanna-be shrug.

"Well…" I started, but stopped. Was there really anyway to go against what she'd just said? I _did_ have a lot to do. It _was_ hard.

"Yea." I finally answered stupidly. I was supposed to have some snarky remark ready for something like this! I'm so unprepared…

She leaned over and gave me a quick hug. It ended about two milliseconds later, but wow…for those milliseconds things in my life seemed…okay.

"Just remember, Gippal. You're still a teenager. Still a kid. Don't forget that you need to have fun once in awhile."

I was about to laugh, say that I'm not a kid…I've been through too much to be a _kid_. But her voice was dead serious, and her eyes…so sad, so confused…

So I unwillingly let out a strangled nod.

"Good!" She stood up abruptly, leaving me crouched on the ground, rubbing the hand she he held slowly…I was a bit confused. She had just been serious with me…

But then again, I had spilled stuff to her about my job I didn't tell anyone else. Not even Baralai or Nooj-well, that's because they have tougher jobs then me. I mean, they have like, what? Five hundred people in their groups? I have 50 or so. So I won't complain-not to them, anyway.

"I'm here to _help_ you Gippal! Lemme be your assistant!" She whined, tugging at a strand of my hair. I stood up, resting my hands on my hips.

"My assistant?"

She nodded.

"As in-my secretary?"

"Er-well-kinda-"

I leaned in close so our faces were nearly touching. That's right. Act cool, slick, Gippal. She'll want you soon enough…

"Did you know many men have affairs with their secretary?" I asked with a wink.

"EUGH! _GIPPAL_!" She cried, turning away with squinted eyes and her tongue sticking out.

I laughed for about 10 seconds-until she stopped me with a glare that could have frozen Bikanel over.

"Don't make sick jokes. I might just _leave_ if you keep abusing me in such a way." She waggled her finger at me, and I just flapped a hand in her direction.

"Come on Cid's Girl, it's just a joke!"

"Well it's not funny."

"Yes it was."

"No."

"Yes."

"NO."

"YES."

I just stepped over and ruffled her hair, which was now slowly coming out of its braid.

"Tell me how you define _assistant_." I asked, sitting on the bed in the corner. She stood silent for a few moments, finger to her chin, thinking…so cute…

Why am I like this? I got over her! I stopped our relationship so she wouldn't be hurt. I was the only one who understood…but no one else seemed to. I can't stay in a relationship. Even with Nhadala, sometimes I just felt like ditching her. But I couldn't…only to prove to Rikku I was over her. But nothing had worked out. And now, just when I thought I could forget about her…when I thought she was safe…

Rikku the Al Bhed had to barge back into my life: the beautiful, stubborn witch…

"Did you _hear_ me?!" I heard her voice slice through my thoughts.

I answered with an intelligent "Huh?"

"An assistant is someone who helps you with paperwork (though not too much), goes around and gives people orders from you if you're too busy, and just helps little odd jobs here and there!" She held up her finger as if there were something else to add on.

There was.

"And I get to work on machina!"

I sat there with my head in my hand, thinking. This could work. I mean, I did need more time for other jobs, and if Rikku did what she said she was going to…

"Will you need extra pay?"

"Nope!"

"Hmm…will you actually do something I ask you to?"

"As long as it's related to work!"

I could tell she was extremely excited. Why? It was just me she's gonna work for-work with.

Me. Hey--me. She was going to be working with _me_. We'd be close almost all the time, getting to know each other again…

My stomach flipped, but I forced myself to be collected.

"All right then. You start tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" She asked her voice slightly less excited.

"Yea. Because today we're cleaning out this dump." I jerked my thumb to a large pile of broken robots behind me. Rikku hopped up and down, clapping her hands.

"Really?"

"Hey, I have to do what the Princess orders, right?"

**Later**

It was fun. I admit it. All afternoon it was just Rikku and me, racing around the room inventing little games to help clean faster. It was kinda weird though-I mean, I don't usually clean. I'm probably the biggest slob in the world. And yet Rikku wanted it perfect.

We made scavenger hunts to find things, and like I said, raced to throw tools and all that stuff into bins. The hardest part was moving the machina out of the room, down the narrow hall, and into the main area to get taken somewhere else.

But around before supper we were nearly done. I was lying on the bed, nearly asleep with aching bones and a pounding headache, whilst Rikku hopped around dusting the walls.

"…and I'm gonna get some stuffed animals here…oh! And a mirror hanging right here! I'll need a dresser-maybe even a sink or something-"

I just nodded slowly, letting out an occasional 'yea' or 'cool'. I think I was nearly dead-but Rikku, being the loving girl she is, didn't even notice me hanging onto life on her bed.

"Gippal? GIPPAL WAKE UP!" I felt a sharp jab in my shoulder, and something shaking it.

"Hnuh?" I asked sleepily, lifting my head a bit.

"Oh come on, how you can you be _tired_? All we did was clean! You still have to help me bring stuff in!"

"Noooo Cid's Girl. Didn't you see me _sleeping_?" I let out a lion's yawn. "Can we do this stuff tomorrow?" My eye was kind of blurry, but clear enough to see the reproving look on Rikku's face.

"Pleeease, Princess? I ache all over, and my brain hurts…" I didn't usually whine, but Ixion I was so damn _tired_.

"Fine." She muttered a little half-heartedly. "But get to your own bed, I don't wanna sleep by you _again_." She said it in a disgusted tone of voice, but I just shrugged it off.

With a sleepy smile towards her, I felt my head hit the pillow. Just barely into dreamland, I heard far-off yells of a girl…

"Get _off_ Gippal! You old man! I am _NOT_ sleeping NEAR you _again_, if that's your twisted little joke…"

But I was too far-gone into sleep to pay attention anymore.

**A/N**: Just a little filler chapter here. - GASP. Breaking up with Rikku is keeping her safe? How? From what? Oooweeeeooooo…. I tried to get into Gippal's brain, but I'm not so good at it, he ended up kinda sounding like Rikku. But both do kinda seem the same. Unless that's just my thoughts humoring me…

R&R please!


	10. Friend or Foe?

**A/N**: I had a sudden craving to write more of this story, though I have NO idea what's going to happen in this chapter. All well.

This is probably going to be my last chapter before Christmas—so happy holidays, everyone everywhere!

-Jingle Bells starts playing somewhere-

**Djose Temple, Late Evening**

"Gippal…" She moaned, pulling at her braid exasperatingly. "Just _move_!" She continued to poke him mercilessly in the forehead, but to no avail. He only let out a rather loud and annoying snore. Oooh, if she had to sleep with _that_ vacuum going all night…

She stomped over to the other side of the room, seething with frustration, annoyance, and anger. She had _TOLD_ him not to sleep here! And now her only choices were to…eugh, sleep with him, or sleep on the floor. She knew immediately which she would prefer.

Incase you're getting the wrong ideas, it was the floor.

_Why though?_ A voice echoed in her mind as Rikku dug through a bin of heavy, hard objects. Uh-oh.

_Why what?_

_Why do you want to sleep on the floor? He DID save your life, you STILL love him, aaaand you said you owed him something._

_I was thinking more along the lines of 10 gil or something._ She thought back, feeling rather uncomfortable. He'd be just too weirded out if he woke up to see her snuggled up close to him the next morning, because he'd know she chose to sleep with him…

Horrible thoughts of the next morning caused an involuntary shiver to run up Rikku's spine.

"Aha!" She cried triumphantly, taking a number of screws, bolts, and other random bits of metal from the bin. "If this doesn't wake him up, I'll be scared."

She took one of the small bolts to begin. She walked about 4 feet away from Gippal, aimed, and threw.

The little piece of metal struck him right in the eye patch. Nothing happened.

"Probably because there's NOTHING THERE!" She shrieked to herself, throwing a screw driver. It hit his foot-which was well protected by stupid boots.

"AUGH!" She screamed, now throwing as many tools as she could. They all either hit places well protected, or hit somewhere that wasn't even part of her target-the wall, the floor, even through the empty window.

Rikku didn't even know why she was getting so mad and-well-crazed. Probably from over exhaustion, or maybe the fact that Gippal looked so hot sleeping that it ticked her off they weren't still dating—whatever it was, it lit a pretty big fire deep in Rikku.

After 15 minutes of agonizing target practice, the boy still slept, only fluttering an eyelid once or twice.

"How does he DO it?" She muttered, tromping over to his casually splayed body. Before she could either start hitting Gippal again, or kick him hard, she gazed down at him. His arm and leg were hanging over the side of the bed, his face dug deep into a pillow. The other arm clung onto a loose sheet, the quilt messy and upturned underneath him. Rikku couldn't help it—she cracked a small smile-a peaceful one, rather then her exuberant, ready for anything grin.

Kneeling down on her feet, the girl gazed at his face, which had now undug itself from a pillow and was facing her. It was so—different looking. The eyebrows weren't furrowed, and his mouth wasn't set in its usual cocky smirk. You could barely see the stress lines on his face as he slept—he looked just as he should: a boy.

Without even thinking, Rikku brushed a stray strand of hair away from his closed eye. As her fingers were just tucking it behind his ear, he let out a small snort. Rikku froze, eyes wide.

"What am I DOING?!" She almost yelled, jumping back and glaring at her hand. "You work of your own accord, don't you _buster_?" She narrowed her eyes menacingly at her hand, until a voice in her head chided,

_It's not going to answer_.

With a huff, Rikku turned her eyes back to Gippal. He was _not_ going to wake up. She was just going to have to face it.

"Well, I _AM_ getting a pillow." She muttered, walking over to him. Slowly and carefully, she arched her arm overtop his head, her fingers ready to grasp the pillow that was so near her. The next movement from the body underneath nearly scared Rikku to the Farplane.

Quick as lightning, Gippal's arm reached out for the pillow, pulling it closer to his face. He let out a small mumble that sounded something like 'Mmmjcab", then letting his head fall into the two pillows, which were now both firmly in his grasp.

Rikku stared at him for a few moments, her eyes blinking in surprise. Had he just done that in his _sleep_? With an exasperated sigh, Rikku finally gave up. Who cared if she hurt him, she wanted a pillow, and she was going to _get_ a pillow.

She yanked Gippal's right arm off of a pillow. He let out a strangled cry, and Rikku forced herself not to burst out laughing. Before his arm could break free of her iron grip, Rikku snatched the pillow, chuckling as Gippal's head thunked lower into the mattress, the pillow no longer there to support him. She snuggled up close to the pillow, realizing it was rather gross and lumpy.

"Eugh." She muttered, dropping it on the floor. She walked over to the corner and picked up a ragged old blanket that had been used for—cleaning machina?

"Man…" She sighed, gazing at the torn, oily cloth in despair. "All well. I'm tired-I'll just shower in the morning." She snuck back over to the pillow and laid the blanket on the stone ground. With a sigh and her face set in a determined grimace, Rikku slowly lay down on the ground, letting out a shiver.

She was in for a long night.

**Djose Temple, Next Morning**

Rikku woke very suddenly, eyelids bursting open and her back straightening up as if someone were controlling her.

With a sickening 'bang' her head hit the metal bed frame beside her.

"CRED!" Rikku cried, clutching her blond head in such a way it looked as if it had cracked open or something.

"Geez, that stupid bed! I'm gonna make it—fluffy or something, so it doesn't hurt." She muttered darkly, glaring daggers at the inanimate object. Sudden chills crawled up her spine, reminding Rikku of her abrupt awakening.

_Why did I wake up so suddenly?_ She thought, eyes scanning her soon-to-be-bedroom-and/or-living quarters. Everything seemed normal…

Except for the fact that Rikku was sitting on the stony floor, nothing but one lumpy pillow and a thin blanket for "comfort".

"Gippal!" She cried, standing up quickly. She was ready to knock the stuffing out of that big oaf! Taking her bed even _after_ she told him not to! "I'm gonna hunt you down and---"

"And what?" Answered a voice from the doorway. Rikku whirled around, eyes wide. There stood Gippal, his hair messy and floppy. Rikku forced herself not to drool. She glanced back over to the bed, a little shocked. _That's_ what had woken her up.

"Er-I-thought you were still asleep." She answered meekly, feeling her cheeks heat up a bit.

"I have _duties_ to do assistant-oh yes. That's right. Assistant. How's that job coming along for you?" She saw he had a bit of a frown, though a playfulness was hidden in his tone. "I seem to have been missing mine this morning…"

"You could have woken me up!" She cried, throwing the lumpy pillow back on the bed. "Expect me to be cranky, no one really loves sleeping on the GROUND you know!" She screamed, throwing the oily rag at Gippal's face. It fluttered uselessly to the ground inches in front of her. Rikku let out an annoyed little shriek yell sort of thing.

Gippal's eyebrows shot up. "Something wrong?"

"YES! My body is _aching_, my brain hurts because I hit it on the stupid _bed frame_, and my body is gross and sticky and oily because I had to use a RAG to sleep on, and I'm **SLEEP DEPRIVED**!" She screamed, fury building up in her.

And this was Rikku, in a bad mood, in the morning. Poor, poor, Gippal.

"Oh…" He answered quietly, his eye looking anywhere but Rikku.

"You'd think you'd have your own bedroom, being the _leader_ of the Machine Faction and all! Where's your master suite Gippal? HUH_? WHERE IS IT_?" She cried, still feeling very tired and exhausted.

"Down the hall." He stated, barely above a whisper-but Rikku didn't seem to hear, or she would have caught the sarcasm.

"Just-AUGH-MOVE!" She screamed, tromping over to the doorway. But Gippal blocked her way.

"Move." She growled menacingly. Gippal flinched, but stood his ground, eye narrowed.

"Look Rikku, you want to keep this job? Then grow up. Half of us don't get good sleeps either, all right? If you think this is bad, then just quit. No one here needs your mouthy, arrogant attitude right now, all right? Get a cup of coffee and _calm down_."

Rikku opened and shut her mouth a number of times, as if trying to find something evil to retort back. But nothing came.

"Fine." She mumbled, crossing her arms. "But still, I need you to get out of my way."

It was taking every fiber in her body to stay calm—she felt the need to lash out at someone—screaming at Gippal had worked just fine, until he had actually knocked some sense into her.

Stupid Gippal and his good timing.

Amazingly, he had been right. After a warm cup of coffee, Rikku felt semi-okay. She glanced around the main room of the temple, still amazed at the drastic change in its appearance. About 10 Al Bhed were milling around, mostly talking over a cup of coffee like Rikku was drinking.

But she had no one to talk to. She knew Gippal would be too busy half the time to talk to her—she realized this as he talked to about 3 different Al Bhed about 3 different things. She noticed annoyance glinting in his eye, so she decided he had enough to deal with without her getting in the way.

"Excuse me, are you new?" A female voice awoke Rikku from her thoughts.

"Huh?"

The girl giggled. Amazingly, she wasn't wearing one of those really ugly Al Bhed body suits, Rikku thought. She had blond hair that just passed her ears, and green, swirly eyes. She had on two leather gloves, wristbands sealing them closed at the wrist, surprisingly. She wore a dark green t-shirt, smudged with oil and grease stains. She wore knee length shorts, and just below the knee black boots. So, really, her knees were the only things showing on her legs. She looked about Rikku's age-maybe a year younger or so.

"Hello." She said with a casual smile. "My name's Wynter. You're—" She gave Rikku a questioning glance, and Rikku stuck out her hand.

"Rikku." She stated, giving the girl a happy smile. After shaking hands, Rikku was a bit disappointed to see her hand more oily than before.

"Oh-sorry about that." Wynter let out a chuckle. "I just finished my morning work, so they're pretty gross."

Rikku just smiled. "I don't care, worse things have happened to me." She wasn't surprised at all to see a look of dawning take over Wynter's face.

"Hey—Rikku! I knew you were Cid's daughter, but I totally forgot about you saving Spira—twice!" She shook her hand more exuberantly a second time.

"Don't worry-most _do_ forget." She stated, pasting on a forced smile. Everyone _did _forget-that was the whole reason Rikku felt so forgotten and belittled in Yuna's presence.

Gippal suddenly appeared beside Rikku. She saw him eyeing her coffee hungrily.

"None left?" She asked.

"None." He stated with a hint of sadness. Rikku clung to her cup protectively, but soon enough let out a sigh.

"Have _mine_, you big baby." She said, grinning. Gippal took the cup happily. Rikku felt the butterflies in her stomach reawaken and flutter around like mad.

Gippal took a huge slurp, letting out a big 'Ah' afterwards.

"Oh, I see you've met Wynter." Gippal said, smiling at Wynter. Rikku saw her blush under Gippal's gaze.

"Oh yea—she's nice." Rikku stated absent-mindedly, still eyeing Wynter with suspicion.

"Gippal, where are the showers?" She finally asked, forcing Gippal to look in her direction instead of at Wynter.

"Down the right hall." He said, looking down at her. Rikku smiled and took the coffee out of his hand.

He let out a strangled sort of gasp as Rikku took a big long gulp. She stuck it back in his fingers. "That was a necessity, unless you want to deal with me later on—WITHOUT coffee."

He grinned. "All right, I'll forgiv—"

"Gippal! We need your help!"

"Oh, bloody—" Gippal glanced down at Rikku. "I'll meet up with you later, okay?"

Rikku just nodded. "Okay."

As soon as Gippal was out of hearing distance, Rikku heard an irritating giggle emit from Wynter.

"What?" Rikku asked, turning around to smile at Wynter. So what if she had stared at Gippal? She still seemed nice-like a friend. Rikku needed a friend.

"Isn't he **SO** hot?!"

Rikku felt her insides shrivel. So much for the whole friend thing.

"What?!"

Wynter blushed like mad again and pulled at Rikku's arm, bringing her into the corner. "Look, there's like, no girls here. So I've never actually _talked_ to anyone about it, so I'm sooo happy you came!"

Rikku felt her shriveled stomach drop a bit lower. First anger, now guilt.

"Err-why?"

"Well-because! Now I have someone to talk to about my HUGE crush!"

"C-Crush?" Rikku stuttered out, hoping, praying, it wasn't what she already knew it was. "Let's say, that guy over there?" She pointed a trembling finger to a fat, balding Al Bhed in the corner that couldn't seem to stop burping.

"Ew, not Leo!" She gagged. "Him!" She pointed a finger at the back of Gippal, and Rikku felt the butterflies erupt in her stomach—they were angry little insects now.

"Oh?" She said in a strangled sort of way. "For how long?"

"Oooh, for like, EVER." Wynter said, giving Rikku a friendly smile. Rikku gave her a weak one back-she couldn't hate her for liking Gippal-HER Gippal.

_No. He's not yours._

_I know, I know, but it's just—weird._  
_SUCK IT UP! You wanted a friend-she wants one too. Make it work._

_Aw man…_

"How do you KNOW him on such a casual basis? Ooh, I'm _so_ jealous of you Rikku!"

Rikku felt a hint of pride somewhere around her midriff. "Oh, we're childhood friends-go way back." She decided to leave out the couple part, incase Wynter hated her after that.

"Wow! Awesome!" Rikku glared daggers at Wynter as she ogled at Gippal. "I wish he noticed _me_ more. But there's so many of us…"

Rikku just tried to shrug, but that didn't really work out. "Don't worry-you guys will talk more and more."

"HEY! YOU could help me talk to him more! Like, you know, let me hang out with you guys!"

Rikku felt her eyes grow wider. _NO! NO, NO! I don't want you hanging out with US! That's OUR time, you—you—_

"I think it should happen naturally." Rikku stated, oddly calm considering the tantrum she was throwing inside. Before Wynter could start nagging her more, Gippal was walking over. Wynter squealed again.

"Here he comes—here he comes—"

_I'm not BLIND._ Rikku thought scathingly.

"Okay Assistant, ready to help me with paperwork?"

"What? No machina?"

"That's for later." Gippal stated, smiling. "You _have_ to do the fun bit first!"

Before Rikku could reply, Wynter broke out into gales of laughter.

"PAPERWORK—FUN—GOOD ONE, GIPPAL!" She cried, slapping her knee. Gippal stared at her for a few seconds, then turned his questioning, frightened sort of gaze on Rikku. She hid a smile as she shrugged, acting just as confused.

"Wynter-er-uh-thanks?" Gippal asked, shrugging. Wynter stopped immediately, as if God had just spoken to her. Her face was glowing, and her eyes were round.

"No problem." She said barely above a whisper. Rikku shuddered, grabbing Gippal's arm and dragging him away.

"Please Gippal, take me to the _paperwork_!" Rikku said through gritted teeth. She glanced over his shoulder to see Wynter coming closer.

"Quick! She's coming!" Rikku hissed. Gippal just quirked eyebrows, but Rikku's look caused him to walk speedily up the flight of stairs and into the room above.

"Lock the door." Rikku ordered. Gippal obeyed, pressing in a code.

"You know Rikku, we shouldn't have to keep our relationship a secret!" He cried in mock horror. Rikku slapped his arm.

"Whatever Gippa—whoa. Sweet mother of Spira." Rikku whispered, gazing at the desk that lay in front of her. "Is that—"

"The paperwork. Yep." Gippal finished, sighing. "Welcome to the real world, Rikku."

There, on the desk, sat piles and piles of paper, at least 10 piles that seemed to hold a million sheets each. Her head was swimming just looking at it.

"My pity for you grows deeper, Gippal." She murmured. "It grows so…SO much deeper."

**A/N**: Yay! New character-Wynter the clingy, obsessed girl. Well, maybe not yet, but she'll _get_ obsessed. She's a little girly, I know—but Rikku really needs female companionship, so she'll probably stick to being her friend, because when Gippal's not around Wynter's actually normal, as shown earlier. Long and another filler, but I just keep getting attacked by plot bunnies and they won't—won't let me goooo…and don't worry, Rikku WILL take a shower. X-x

Review please!


	11. Prying in His Privacy

**A/N**: Yay! More! I had some awesome reviews that made me giggle. Thanks! Hmm…let's see if this chapter is going to work out…

**Djose Temple, Gippal's Office**

Rikku sighed heavily and brushed her bangs from her face. "I guess I better get started…"

"No way!" She heard Gippal cry. She whirled around, a wee bit shocked.

"Uh—I thought I was your assistant." She stated in a confused sort of tone.

"Not like that, you're not." Gippal said, pointing at her clothes, skin, hair…anywhere and everywhere on Rikku was covered in oily grease left over from her sleeping rag.

"Oh." She whispered meekly.

"I don't want grease all over my paperwork now." He stated with a hint of a smile.

She headed for the door, but turned around as she grasped the handle. "I wouldn't be like this if you had just GOTTEN OFF OF MY BED!" She cried, a huge smile plastered on her face. She said the last bit very quickly, and then escaped the room, letting the door slam shut.

Gippal stared after her, a small grin on his face. "Oh, that was funny though. All your little tantrums were worth the look on your face." He started to whistle a quiet tune, spinning on his heel and sitting at his desk, his body lost in the mountains of paper.

…………..

Rikku returned refreshed and revitalized, along with her hair let loose and wavy. She gazed at herself in the washroom mirror. "Hmm…my hair looks awesome like this." She murmured, fingering the honey golden locks fondly. "I wonder if Gippal like—"

"RIKKU!" A familiar voice cried. Wynter bounced into the washroom, and Rikku was glad to see she had washed up.

"Hey Wynter." Rikku answered, looking away from the mirror and washing her hands even though she had just had a shower.

"Wow—your hair looks really nice like that!" Wynter flipped the bottom and Rikku let out a giggle.

"You think so?"

"Yea! I wish I could grow my hair out…"

"Oh. Why can't you?" Rikku asked, intrigued. Wynter averted her eyes from Rikku's gaze and looked down at her hands, where they were wringing each other nervously.

Rikku felt like she had just asked a question she wasn't supposed to. "Oh, if you don't want to tell me, I'll understa—"

"It's because of my father." Wynter cut off Rikku's apology abruptly. Rikku shut her mouth accordingly, watching Wynter worriedly.

"Your dad?"

"Yea." She was silent for a few more seconds, before she spoke up again. "I'm only sixteen right now, turning seventeen in two months. My father thinks I'm too young to be out working on my own, so he comes and checks on me every two to three weeks. It's really annoying, actually." She said with a small, obviously fake smile. "But he—he doesn't think girls should have long hair. Ever since I was little my hair's been about this length-the longest it got to was my chin, but my father…got angry." She said bluntly, and Rikku gulped.

"Angry, as in…?"

"Yea. That whole beating thing. I personally found his whole taboo thing _really_ stupid…but for fear of my life, yes it's extreme, but that's about how I feel, I don't grow it out."

Rikku felt something in her throat. She coughed, feeling a deep sense of pity for Wynter. "Gee Wynter, I'm sorry…"

"Why?" Wynter asked with a grin. "It's not your fault. I'm just so glad you're here now."

Rikku, once more, felt the guilt in her body grow steadily higher. "Well then, it's obvious." Rikku stated with a glint in her eye.

"What is?"

"We're growing out your hair."

"WHAT?!" Wynter cried, eyes wide. "NO! Rikku, if my father saw me-"

"I'LL talk to him!" Rikku cried, smiling now. "Don't you see? That's how I won my dad over! Rebellion! I left him to go on a ship when he didn't want me to-I went to go fight Sin when he didn't want me to! If you go against what he says, and let me handle the talking, of course, he'll learn to live with it!"

Wynter hesitated. "What if he takes me away from here?"

"He _can't_. You're now Gippal's employee-the only way you can leave is to be fired or to quit. And I'll tell Gippal not to fire you." Rikku gave her thumbs up. "Don't worry, everything will be—"

Her eyes found the clock that was hanging over the bathroom door. "Holy Jeebacles!" She cried, eyes wide. "I gotta go Wynter-Gippal'll have my head for being late." Rikku gave her a small wave as she exited the room, realizing her pity for Wynter was now determination. She was going to help Wynter overcome her father's pig-headedness. Woohoo for Rikku, the rebel! She'd fix everyone's lives, going around Spira to help the inhibited…

"You're late." Rikku had entered the room at top speed, feeling her lungs thumping her chest.

"I am?" She asked in shock, glancing at the clock. "I'm sorry, my showers are _so_ long, and I just got out, like, 30 seconds ago…"

"No you didn't." Came the voice. Rikku craned her head to try and see Gippal, but all the papers blocked him from her view. This made her slightly nervous, because she couldn't see the expression on his face.

"How would _you_ know?"

His head peeped over a long column of paper. "Your hair's dry—if you _just_ got out, it'd be wet."

Rikku let her mouth open and close in silence. "How would you know something like that?!"

"It's just common sense, Rikku." He drawled. "It's really not that hard to acquire-for _some_ people."

Rikku was a bit nervous to see no smile on his face, or a twinkle in his eye. "Are you mad?" She squeaked quietly, feeling herself blush. She didn't even snap back at the comment Gippal had made about common sense…uh-oh.

"Well, I hired you for a reason! To come here isn't to lounge around in the bathroom doing who knows what! I need you to help me--you _said_ you'd do what I asked as long as it had to do with work." She saw a small frown on his lips now-almost a hurt one.

"Fine, just stop your little sad face." Rikku cried, sticking her tongue out at him and coming around to his side of the desk. "Just give me some paperwork."

"Here." Gippal said, dropping a piled as long as his waist to the top of his head in front of Rikku. She stared at it, open-mouthed.

"What?!"

"Sign my name on every line you see."

"But I don't know your signature!" Rikku was in shock. She had to do _this_? This was_ INSANE_!

"Here." Gippal slapped a piece of paper in front of her with a messy _Gippal_ written on it in cursive. "Just eyeball it, no one really cares about it anyway."

Rikku sighed as she picked up the first piece of paper-it was wafer thin. "How many of these do I have to do?"

"Till they're all gone." Gippal groaned, sitting back in his chair and picking up a pen. Rikku let out a heavy sigh and dropped her head to the sheet.

"I can barely read the writing." She muttered, squinting at it.

"You're not supposed to be able to see it."

"Well then it's stupid to be doing this."

"You don't think I think that every second of my life?"

"You do?!"

"No."

"Oh."

For the next hour or two, Rikku wrote down Gippal's hideous signature. She felt her hand cramp up at the most inopportune of moments, causing the signature to mutate as her hand froze and her fingers went numb. Her feet started to fall asleep, and her back and neck ached. At times Rikku would mutter things like "human slavery" and "just kill me now, please". It was all very painful. Rikku didn't know if she'd be able to do this for a job-she may just have to quit.

"Done!" Gippal cried, throwing his pen on the desk. Rikku looked over to see that the three or so piles that had surrounded him were all nicely signed and sitting on the floor, waiting to be taken away.

"WHAT?!" Rikku looked back her pile, which was still overflowing with pages. She had barely signed _any_.

"This sucks." She muttered, crumpling up the reference signature Gippal had given to her, in annoyance. After all, she had memorized his signature already, so what was the use?

"Here." Gippal said, wheeling his chair over to her. "Go. Go outside and get some fresh air." Rikku gazed up at him, surprised. She saw a smile creep up onto his godly features.

"Seriously. I know you're not used to being locked up in an office, like me, so go outside and have some fun. I'll be done this in about 15 minutes."

"Promise me that's all your doing?" Rikku asked, smiling. "No more paperwork today?"

"Nope."

"Or tomorrow?"

"No—what? Yea, of course I'll have paperwork tomorrow!"

"No! Gippal—just—no!" She cried, frowning. "Remember what I said?"

There was a silence as Gippal looked at his thumb as if it was suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. He let out a mumble that even a bug right by his mouth couldn't understand.

"What was that?"

"I said _yes_." He snarled.

"Then that's all I have to say." She was about to leave, but then hesitated. She wanted to go outside so _badly_…and Gippal was being so nice about it. But did she really want to leave him with _her_ work?

"No." She sighed heavily, sitting back in her chair. Gippal gave her a curious look.

"Huh?"

"Go." She said numbly, picking up a pen. There was a silence.

"What?"

"Go _outside_. You need to get away from here more than I do. You work on this stuff everyday of your life. Let _me_ take some responsibility. I'd feel to bad if I left anyway." She gave him a forced smile.

_He owes me big_. She thought grumpily, watching a smile break onto his face.

"Thanks Rikku!" He leaned over and gave her a quick squeeze, than stood up and ran for the door. "Oh, and don't look in my desk. It's private." He waved his finger at her, and then escaped from the door.

"Lucky jerk." She muttered, smiling. He had hugged her—that was good enough payment for a little while anyway.

She slowly wrote out his signature on the next twenty sheets or so. But something was bugging her in the back of her mind.

_Go look in his desk._

She sat up slowly, eyes unwillingly looking over at the mass amount of drawers in his desk. "But he told me not to…"

"But then again-he shouldn't have said anything. He knew it would pique my interest." She argued with herself for a few more moments, until her good, well-behaved half lost—it rarely ever won.

Rikku lunged at the drawers, opening the first one with a shaky hand. She giggled. Ooh, Gippal wouldn't know she was breaking his rule. Yay for Rikku, the _rebel_!

The first drawer contained nothing but paperwork. "Boooring." She said, closing it and opening the next. More bills and checks and whatnot. She closed it, too, and opened the next. Some pens, pencils, tape, glue, paperclips…

"Where's the _interesting_ stuff?" Rikku cried, slamming one that contained pictures of machina with a loud 'bang'. It echoed on the walls, and Rikku froze. Hopefully Gippal hadn't heard that, or she'd be in trouble.

After a few more moments of silence, Rikku realized Gippal wasn't coming. With a relieved smile she opened the next drawer—and stopped, eyes wide.

………………

"Hey, Boss!" A voice cried as Gippal entered the temple from outside. He had been sitting on the bridge, just relaxing. He was coming in for a cup of coffee, feeling rather light-hearted. But his heart sank like a stone as an Al Bhed came waddling over to him.

"What is it?" He asked grouchily. Great. More work.

"Me and some other Al Bheds heard this great big bang in your office—we think it might be a burglar."

Gippal froze. Burglar? He had important documents in there! Just as he was about to go up running, he let out a relieved laugh. "It's no burglar, Kli. It's just my secr-er-assistant."

Kli nodded. "All right then, Gippal. But I still say you go up and check on the assistant-it was no figment of my imagination."

Gippal nodded, feeling his stomach knot. Rikku, and a loud bang? That spelled trouble. With a heavy sigh he tromped up the stairs and turned the big wheel on the front of the door.

"Rikku?" He called, stepping into the round room. "Kli told me he heard a loud bang, and—" his voice faltered as his eyes fell to Rikku. She was sitting on the ground, legs splayed, going through photographs—photographs that were-er-rather _personal_ to Gippal.

"RIKKU?!" He cried, eye flaring with anger. Rikku looked up, shock in her eyes. She scrambled up, dropping the photograph she had been looking at.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"I-was-er-well—" She stumbled on her words, eyes wide and fearful, lip trembling.

"OUT!" Gippal yelled, pointing to the open door. "GET OUT OF HERE RIKKU!"

He saw her mouth open and close in surprise. "What?"

"Get out!" Gippal repeated, a bit quieter this time. "I thought I could trust you! But I guess not! Rikku's too good for rules, eh? It doesn't matter if she sleeps in, or is late for work. Noo, Rikku can do what she pleases. Even go through MY PERSONAL THINGS without asking!"

Once more he pointed at the door, an unknown and unbeatable anger pounding in his chest.

"Get out Rikku." He said in an eerie, calm voice. She didn't move, only stared at him with glistening eyes.

"I-I'm sorry."

"I don't care about your apologies." He said in a menacing sort of voice. "Just get out of here."

He heard something that sounded like a sob escape Rikku's throat. His eyebrows rose slightly, but before he could comprehend that Rikku was crying, she raced out of the room, clattering down the steps as she left. A large group of Al Bhed had gathered at the sounds of their yelling, and Gippal watched _them_ watch _her_ as she ran to her bedroom. In a few seconds he heard a loud 'SLAM' from Rikku's door. With a heavy sigh he too slammed his door shut, leaning against it afterwards.

"Great. I just blew up at Rikku. Now she probably hates me." His eyes wandered over to the photographs, and anger boiled up again. "But she shouldn't have looked! Even when I asked her—no—TOLD her not to look in my desk!" He stomped over to the pictures, and his hand grazed one as he began to hastily pick them up. He stopped, and sat down on the ground, grabbing a handful of them to look at.

"She probably thinks I'm a stalker." He muttered, a small frown on his lips. But he was thankful these pictures were not of Rikku—no, they were of a different girl. Nhadala. But then, he realized, there were only four or five of her.

And it was always with Gippal. There, in Luca eating ice cream. In Besaid, giving candy to the little children there. In Bikanel, where they were pouring over a map of the area. All over Spira. He let out a sad smile. He had nearly forgotten what it were like to be in a relationship-always having someone to talk to no matter what-and they were always willing to listen and help.

"Why am I such a jerk?" He muttered, leaving her pictures alone and looking at the rest. Here he was with some random girl. What had her name been? Jenny, or something. And there were six or so more with different girls on each. Gippal ran a shaking hand through his hair. "I am _such_ a loser." He muttered.

Is this what he had decided to do with his life? Jump from random girl to random girl? Never staying in a relationship? Breaking their hearts like he had Rikku's?

"Rikku…" He muttered, gazing at the last photo. He fingered it fondly, letting a small smile play on his lips. He remembered this scene perfectly.

It was Rikku and Gippal at the age of fourteen and fifteen. He was standing on the banks of the Moonflow, almost rolling on the ground laughing. Rikku was sopping wet as she floated in the water, a big frown at her lips. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she was yelling something at Gippal. He had pushed her in when she wasn't looking, and she had been mad at him for weeks.

He chuckled. Oh yes, those two had had good times. Their relationship was the only one he had _truly_ cared about…and he had ruined it.

"I am such a _jerk_." He repeated, angrily this time. He stomped over to his desk and threw the pictures into a drawer. He then stomped out of the office, slamming the door. He needed to think.

And just like in the photo…he went to the Moonflow.

**A/N**: Eek! Yea, I didn't know how to write that he went to the Moonflow to think because it was the place he remembered a happy memory at or something like that. O-o Umm…it's not that great of a chapter, but I really had no ideas. Rikku's opinion (angry opinion) on the photo's next chapter!

Review, please! Thanky-doodle!


	12. The Return of a Nightmare

**A/N**: Well, another chapter! I'm starting to work on a Soul Calibur story, so chapters may be far and few at a time. Sorry!

**Outside of Djose Temple, Dusk**

"I cannot _believe_ him!" Rikku huffed, striding into her bedroom and falling on the lumpy bed. "I CANNOT BELIEVE HIM!" She cried louder, slamming her fist into the pillow. "That jerk! That loser! That-that-"

Rikku fell silent, her eyes gazing down at the bed. He had laid in this bed last night. How many OTHERS had he laid in, beside girls she never knew existed? Maybe he had been seeing one when they were dating…maybe _that's_ why he broke up with her…

"That git!" She yelled, jumping off the bed as if it carried a disease. "I'm—I'm—appalled!"

Rikku sat down on the cold stone floor instead, her eyes flaring. Then she changed her mind and began pacing the room, digging her fist into her open palm continuously.

"Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have dug in his desk." She thought out loud, trying to sort this whole mess out. "But WHY would he keep a million pictures of OTHER girls in his desk? Okay, not a million, but a lot more than ones of _me_! I'm only in there once-and I look hideous!"

She stopped pacing and looked up at her roof. "I'm not jealous…I can't be…I mean, he's not my property, he never was! I just feel—feel—abandoned. And alone. Or some other _junk_ like that!" She cried, pulling at her hair in frustration. "And he-he YELLS at me instead! He totally _spazzes_! I'M the one who had the right to spaz!"

_Why? Because he actually had a life and dated other people while you sat at home moping over ONE loss? Him?_

"That's not the point." Rikku growled, sitting on the stone floor once more with a light 'thunk'. "I just thought he might have been a bit more…remorseful. I didn't know at first chance he'd go on dates with all sorts of women-I mean, he was all over Spira with them for Pete's Sake!" Images of the photos flashed through her memory. She remembered opening the drawer, feeling giddy. But then her heart sinking as she saw photo after photo of Nhadala. Then all these other girls that were all either too fat, or too short, too tall, too large of noses…and then _one_ of her, probably only for comical relief when he was feeling stressed or something dumb like that. After all, she did look rather dumb in that picture.

"But he still had NO RIGHT to freak out on me!" Rikku whined, trying to make herself feel better. "Even though…he _did_ tell me to stay out of his desk…"

Rikku sighed and dug her face into her hands, feeling tears of frustration and sadness leaking out. "Why didn't he just _tell_ me he's not interested, instead of letting me have false hope? WHY did he let me suffer, even though he has no intention of getting back with me? He's more interested in those _mutants_…"

Rikku shuddered, knowing she usually never judged someone on the way they look. In fact, those ladies were probably all nice and polite-more so than Rikku, anyway.

She remembered his blazing eye, and the anger, confusion, and frustration that leaked out with every word from Gippal.

"I don't care about your apologies…just get out of here…" 

His voice haunted her for the next 10 minutes or so, making Rikku feel mixed emotions. Anger, for him freaking out at her in such a ferocious way, jealousy, because he kept more pictures of random girls in his desk than Rikku, guilt, because she pried into his privacy, annoyance at herself, at him, _and_ at Wynter, (for some random reason), and fear that Sunny and his posse would take her at some point at her stay here. After all, they knew she was here.

With a shudder she stood up, realizing silent tears were still falling down her face. She could _not_ get over Gippal's reaction. It made her feel small and worthless just _thinking_ about it.

"Fine…" She sniffed out, tugging at her scarf so it tightened. "Fine. He doesn't want me to stay? FINE. I'll GO. I'll _get out of here_." She walked stiffly to her bedroom door and swung it open. She strode out and into the main area. Al Bhed were milling about, whispering, but as soon as Rikku entered they stopped and watched her.

Rikku felt annoyance and embarrassment in the pit of her stomach. Ever had that feeling, when you come in late and everyone's watching you? Well, that's what Rikku was feeling, and she hated it.

"What?" She snapped. "Are your lives so _dull_ you have to listen in on mine for _enjoyment_?" She spat out the last word in such a spiteful way, that everyone immediately went back to what they were doing before.

"Jerks." She muttered, slamming the double doors open from the temple, nearly wiping them off of their hinges.

"Are you happy, Gippal?!" She shrieked into the wind as she started to walk faster away from Djose Temple. "Are you happy that I'm getting out of here?! Well you better be, because I'm sick of you being so UNHAPPY!" It didn't make any sense, but at the time, it seemed to. With a last sniffle, Rikku crossed the bridge that led away from what she had thought would lead to happy times.

…………

Gippal kicked at the loose dirt by the Moonflow, the memory of Rikku nearly drowning in the water flashing through his mind. He couldn't help it-no matter the amount of a foul mood he was in, past moments with Rikku always made him smile-after all, how could it not?

"Wait…I'm here because I'm _mad_ at her." With a sigh he kicked at a nearby tree with all of his strength, causing the branches to tremble and a number of leaves to tumble to the ground. He knew what she would be thinking. She'd be feeling unwanted, or…miniscule or something, just because he had more pictures of Nhadala and girls she didn't know then pictures of her. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair again.

"She just doesn't _get_ it." He muttered, over and over until he believed that he was positively right and she was wrong. Anger flared deep in the pit of his stomach again, and he growled deep in his throat. Gippal needed something to throttle, but all that was there was the puny tree he would probably kill if he unleashed his pent up anger.

But it wasn't just because of Rikku digging through his desk and disobeying him: in fact, that was just what caused all the emotions that had been locked inside of him to blow up. Sadness, jealousy, loneliness, stress, confusion, and disappointment had been bothering him for quite some time…there were too many for even him to understand.

Gippal was never one to dwell on things for too long, due to something else always popping up and getting in the way. So soon his mind drifted back to the three that had probably caused lots of the tension between himself and Rikku in the first place: Sunny, Lienn and Bilak. He was surprised he could even remember their names. After all, _he_ wasn't the one who had been friends with them. In fact, if he saw even _one_ of them right now he'd probably punch them so hard and beat them up so bad that they wouldn't be able to get out of bed for—

"Hello, Al Bhed."

Gippal froze. His boot stopped digging into the dirt, and his fidgeting had subsided. He continued to stare out at the water, his one eye very round—too round, considering he never usually showed fear or surprise by widening his eyes. Beads of sweat started to gather at his neck. Oh no, oh no, not him again…Gippal had _sworn_ he was gone…

A dark chuckle caused his frantic thoughts to stop. "Thought I was gone, didn't you?"

Gippal didn't answer. There were the sounds of footsteps getting closer.

"Answer me!" The hoarse voice whispered menacingly into his ear. Gippal cringed, but forced his throat to emit a noise.

"Yegr."

He felt red creeping into his cheeks as the man chuckled. "Still a helpless, scared little boy, _aren't_ you Gippal?"

Gippal felt his body trembling from anger, (and though he didn't want to admit it, fear).

"Yes. I did." He finally answered, his voice dry and a bit too squeaky for his liking. The man made no move to answer only took a few more steps around to the other side of Gippal.

Now, this was one thing that bugged Gippal. When the person wouldn't even confront him; they'd just stand behind him whispering into his ear like _they_ were the brave ones and Gippal was the chicken. Huh. Gippal wasn't a chicken: he just liked to think if he didn't look, the man wouldn't be there-it was all a figment of Gippal's imagination. It was from all the stress-serious plans for a holiday started to formulate in his mind.

"DANGIT boy! When will you learn to listen?! When you're an inch from _death_?!" Gippal cringed, but then heard him chuckle again.

"Oh yes…you've already been in that situation, if I do recall correctly. And you seemed to listen _very_ well then." Gippal stayed silent, closing his eye and choosing that the man didn't exist-he was gone: dead. Gippal had made sure of that a number of years ago.

"You're dead." He finally stated, hoping he sounded braver than he really felt. "You're dead." He repeated, a hint of anger leaking out in his tone. He suddenly felt a cold hand grip his shoulder, and than whirl his body around.

Unwillingly his eye flew open, incase the man decided to strike him or shoot him, or something along those lines. But instead, he just saw the man that had haunted him for so long just standing there, a look of pure frustration on his deadened face.

There he was, around 6'2", and that evil glint in his beetle black, empty eyes. His face was almost a dark black color, but his bumpy, pimply pink lips were visible and garishly sticking out of his dark skin. His hands still had the long slender fingers-though those too, were near black. He wore on the dark green cloak that had hidden him from the authorities for so many years, and the hood was over his head so the only thing Gippal could spot was the evil, now triumphant expression on his face.

With detested thoughts whirling in his mind, Gippal saw the man lean in closer, his rank breath making its way into Gippal's lungs. He forced himself not to choke and die, but to stand straight and _try_ not to flinch.

The man-or thing, gave a smile, his yellow, decaying teeth grossing Gippal out beyond belief.

"As you can see, I _lived_. Or, I am alive, if you prefer to say it that way. Your clever little plan wasn't enough to get me off of your back."

"You haven't even _touched_ me for the past 3 years. You're as much as a chicken as anybody else." Gippal growled, eye flaring.

"No, no, _no_. You see, I had to get myself cleaned up. Your little bombing accident nearly destroyed me."

Gippal stayed silent, knowing that the man _knew_ Gippal had wanted to destroy him. It had been no accident.

The man smiled again and stood up straight this time, finally giving Gippal the chance to breath.

"I guess I might as well monologue now." He let out a harsh laugh, his empty eyes flashing. Gippal shuddered. "As I was saying, I had to get myself to my former glory. Alas, they could not fix the skin you have oh-so-kindly laid upon my body."

As Gippal looked closer, he could see that his flesh was almost burnt…sudden memories of a fire flashed through his mind, and he clamped his hands around his nose to stop the smell of burning flesh.

The man only grinned. "Yes…you can smell it, can you not?" He waved an almost scaly hand in front of him. "And it's all thanks to you, Al Bhed Boy."

"And so, I forced myself to crawl across Spira, barely alive. I lived off the animals of forests, mountains, and deserts. Of course, those Chocobo's in the Calm Lands sufficed as well."

Gippal forced the look of horror that was dawning on his face to turn into one of mild surprise. "You _ate_ the Chocobo's?" He suddenly wondered what Rikku would think if she heard this, and he knew she would burst into angry tears.

"Don't interrupt me!" The man hissed in such a cold manner, that Gippal immediately shut his mouth. A vicious grin crept onto the man's face. "Still obeying…good, good."

He sighed and started again. "Finally I made it here, to the pass between the Moonflow and Djose Temple. Now, I knew that if I did not get help, I would soon die-and you wouldn't want that, would you? So I went to the Bandit's-they knew me, they recognized me for the greatness that I am. So they fixed me up as best as they could-and for that, I rewarded them."

"With what? Death?" Gippal finally spat out. A scaly, smelly finger waggled in his face.

"No, no, Gippal. With the gift of my sight. They now have _me_ watching them constantly, making sure they know when danger is headed their way, and they can escape, or that they know when their target is going to be there. I can see things others cannot."

"Have you ever disguised your voice?" Gippal suddenly blurted out, thinking about that day in Luca when Rikku had said Cid had left a present. Now, he knew Cid wouldn't send bloodthirsty Al Bhed after his daughter…

"That is _none_ of your business!" He hissed, eyes flaring with anger. Gippal felt small and insignificant once more. "But what _is_ of your business Gippal, is that I have come back—back to triumph. You thought I was gone, destroyed. But I will _never_ be destroyed-not until I win."

"You'll _never_ win." Gippal finally snarled, anger rising in his bloodstream. "You didn't last time, and you won't this time. I'LL make sure of that."

In one swift motion the man swooped down on Gippal, and one slimy hand gripped at his shoulder. Gippal felt the blood stop passing through, and he swore that the bones were bending. He knew what was going to happen-his shoulder would break. He let out a grunt of pain and pushed the hand off of his shoulder-but he got a surprising reaction.

As soon as his hand touched the burned flesh of the older man, he crumpled to the ground, feeling the most…_unbearable_ pain he had ever felt. His bit his lip and blinked rapidly, forcing the tears that were threatening to fall to stay in. He gripped at his hand, and when he looked down, saw that it was red and raw, and smoke was rising. Gippal let out a gasp of horror.

"Yes, Gippal. It is true-you did the part of destroying me—well, _trying_. And because of this, you cannot touch the flesh you tried to burn—MY flesh. For this, I have the much, _much_ greater advantage then you have."

Gippal cringed as the hand reached out for his face. He scrambled up, still clutching his own burning hand.

"You…can't kill…me." He finally let out, his voice raspy, his lungs struggling for air. The hand stopped.

"And why not?"

"I don't have…what –what you…need…"

The man seemed to be thinking as he took two steps closer to Gippal. "You are right—sadly. But remember, the thing I want will never be far from you."

Gippal let out a small chuckle, his mind working furiously. "How would you know if it's with me? It could be anywhere-you haven't seen it for three years."

"But it is all I have been thinking about as I traveled, hanging onto life!" He cried, his hand curling into a fist. Gippal flinched. "It has been in my mind every minute, no, every _second_ of my life!" He breathed deeply, his eyes wide with madness.

"And I will not stop until I get it!" He shrieked, a look of what seemed like pure maniacal triumph.

"Never forget the name of Saleed—because I know where you are all the time, and I know what you are doing all the time. Don't forget it, Al Bhed Boy."

And with that, the menacing man disappeared in a flash of light.

An eerie silence overtook the path, as Gippal slid to the base of the tree, his whole body trembling. His hand still burned, and he was still biting his lip to hold back the pain. But he couldn't—not anymore.

With a sob, he knew how much danger he was in…he knew there was no stopping Saleed now…

Gippal let out another sob, burying his face in his knees. He wasn't normally one to cry, but the man that had made his life a living hell three years ago had returned, and he was haunting Gippal.

He let the tears that had been in his eyes pour out, and he held the aching hand close to his chest as he cried. He sobbed for who knows how long, but it felt like somewhat of an achievement to finally let out all the pent up emotions in a way other than screaming and making a scene.

Gippal needed to get out-he didn't know how, he didn't know where, but he couldn't stay at Djose. Knowing Saleed, he was most likely staying with the bandits, which was dangerously close to Djose Temple.

Standing up shakily, Gippal wiped at his eyes, hoping they weren't too red and puffy. No matter his situation, he couldn't just show up bawling his eyes out. With a heavy sigh, Gippal started to walk slowly back to the Temple. He needed to get out.

And he needed to take Rikku with him.

………

"Suttin!" Gippal cried, slamming the doors open. "Suttin!" He shouted again, his voice hurried. Instead of running into his closest friend at the Temple, he felt something small run into his chest. He looked down to see Wynter, whose face was as red as a tomato.

"Oh-sorry-Gippal—er-sir…"

Gippal just waved her away with his hand, too preoccupied to see the disappointed look on his face. "Where's Suttin?" He asked a nearby Al Bhed.

"I-I don't k-know." He stuttered, looking at him fearfully. Gippal sighed heavily, wondering why everyone suddenly seemed afraid of him. "W-Why?" The man asked.

"I need him to tell me where Rikku is."

"She left." A voice piped up to Gippal's left. He whirled around to see Wynter standing there, her arms crossed and a look something like jealousy on her face.

"She—left?" He asked weakly, feeling like his body was suddenly an empty shell.

"Yes." Wynter said smugly. "She ran out of here, screaming out stuff in Al Bhed."

Gippal grabbed her shoulders, and his eye bore down on her. "_Where did she go_?" He asked somewhat menacingly.

"Sh-Sh-I don't know." Wynter stuttered, taking a step back with a frightened look on her face. "I don't know." She repeated, eyes wide.

Gippal ran a trembling hand through his hair. That stupid girl! Didn't she even realize the danger she had put herself in?!

"You there!" He said, pointing at the stuttering boy that had been sneaking away.

"Y-Yes?"

"Get someone to take my place."

"W-W-Who?!"

"Suttin." He said without hesitation, walking over to the closet that had been inlaid in the staircase. He grabbed a flashlight and started to wrap a bandage around his burning hand.

"W-Why?"

"I need to go find Rikku."

"Yessir." Then he heard the young man running off. As he slammed the closet door shut, he turned around to see Wynter.

"What?" He snapped.

"She was angry." Wynter said quietly.

"Well so was I, so _am_ I, I should say. Life's not fair, is it?" He snarled, striding past her.

"It's dangerous out there!" Wynter cried, running behind him.

"You don't think I _know_ that?" Gippal growled. "That's why I _need_ to go get Rikku! I need to get her out of danger!" He turned around and reached the door, and was about to rip it open when Wynter called,

"There's another reason, isn't there?"

Gippal hesitated. Yes, yes, there were _always_ more reasons, but he wasn't about to tell a girl he barely knew what they were.

With no reply, he opened the door and strode out into the darkening area, praying to Yevon, (which he didn't often do), that Rikku was still alive…and still had her wits about her. Because he knew she would need them a lot, if not more, than Gippal did tonight…and perhaps the rest of her life.

**A/N**: Took me long enough, eh? I realize this story isn't much compared to lots of other Rikku x Gippal fics, but…yea. O-O Thanks for reading, and reviews would be vunderful!


	13. Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

**A/N**: Okay…I'm writing this sooner than expected to clear a few things up.  
1) You are not SUPPOSED to know anything about Saleed and Gippal, and their situation-it will all be _later_ explained chapter by chapter.

2) Saleed is mine. I have not made him due to any other character, or of the sort. I apologize if he's similar to something or someone.

3) Sorry about no descriptions. X-x I've been caught up in my - er - brilliant new plot bunny, that I sometimes forget the things that make a story…

Now read! Shoo!

**Djose Highroad, Night**

The silver crescent moon was high up in the sky, casting a soft glow on the world around it. Stars started to show through the clear night sky, flashing and winking all the while. The ocean below the Djose Highroad was filled with petite waves, rippling quietly past to the rocky cliff before it, suddenly erupting into loud crashes as the water hit the rocky forms full-force.

The sky was thick with humidity, and all nighttime creatures were sleeping lazily in this rare weather. Anyone could clearly tell it was going to rain anytime soon.

Except for Gippal. Normally, he would have enjoyed escaping the hustle and bustle of the temple to come into a night such as this—but right now; the weather was the last thing on his mine. The first being Rikku, and the second being all the annoying bugs hovering around his body.

"Get _off_!" He muttered, swiping at the air around them. He felt the little black insects splat into his hands as he swiped them, the force killing them immediately. "These things are _gross_…" He muttered, wiping a dead bug-infested hand on his pants. Finally he let out a loud sigh, turning on the flashlight he had been carrying. Though he didn't need to—the moon gave everything such a light it almost seemed like just before the sun was to rise.

"RIKKU!" He cried into the air, hoping she'd magically pop up from behind a rock shouting 'here I am!'

"You stupid, _stupid_ child…" He muttered, knowing it was plainly his fault. Though, being a man, the easier thing was to blame it on _her _rather than _himself_.

"Okay!" He cried shakily into the air with a fake laugh. "Okay, Rikku! You got me-I'm sorry. There. I apologized…PLEASE COME OUT NOW?!" He screamed down the path. But nothing came. He blinked rapidly, giving a frustrated growl at the flashlight in his hand.

"You useless, stupid, piece of trash." He muttered, throwing the flashlight on the ground. "Go do something worthwhile, you—you _lifeless_ thing you!"

Okay. It was official. He was going mad. Insane. Crazy. Since when did he start talking to flashlights? He couldn't deal with this sort of pressure-normally he would have only been a tinge worried that she left, sure…but ever since Saleed came back…

"No. Do _not_ think about that. Keep going—keep walking. She couldn't have gone far…she _wouldn't_…"

And that's when he heard a gunshot to his left.

…………

Rikku stumbled on a rock that had been lying haphazardly on the ground. With an 'oof' she fell down for the tenth time that evening.

"Why must you TORTURE me?!" She cried at the rock, picking it up and chucking it over the cliff. She waited to hear its dappled little sploosh in the water, but the noise of the roaring waves crashing onto the side of the rock covered it.

In all truth, Rikku hadn't traveled far from Djose Temple. It was too dark to go deep into the Moonflow Pass, (which, mind you, she was terribly afraid of), and she didn't exactly want to go down to the beach that many Spiran's had wasted their lives on fighting Sin. Rikku didn't want to meet the spirits of angry battlers or anything of the sort.

With a sigh she fell down to the dusty ground, where she pulled her knees up and hugged them, laying her head down on the kneecaps gingerly. All her clothes were covered in dirt and dust—she had fallen so much, and veered off the track and into rocks and the mountain wall…perhaps because she was so tired she could barely see anymore. Her face was perhaps the dirtiest of all, because of her hands wiping at it to get he hair out, sweat off, and just because of stress she had pulled at the skin many a time.

"So…tired…" She said between yawns, feeling her jaw widen slightly. The moon almost seemed to be staring down at her, and she shivered, scuttling closer to the mountain wall. Just to her right she could see the starting of the beach, and she shivered once more. She could turn back, go forward, or stay in this nice, safe, yet scary spot.

Well, she didn't want to meet any angry spirits—and she certainly didn't want to meet an angry Gippal.

"Staying here it is then." She said between another yawn. She moved her body so she was lying on her side, her hands clasped underneath her head like a temporary pillow. It was so warm tonight; she didn't need to worry about a blanket. With another yawn she blinked a few times, wondering where she could go.

_I could go to Luca…maybe somethin' nice there…back to Besaid? Nah, I'm personally sick of Yunie, as harsh as that sounds. Umm…Kilika? Why bother? Not…Bevelle…_

Rikku felt herself yawn again, and her thoughts were starting to drift away from her grasp.

_Mt….? Calm…temple, maybe…Zanarka—_

Rikku's eyes flew open, and she sat straight up for the second time that day. She felt the same feeling she had that morning…an eerie one, like something was watching her…

She stood up suddenly, her eyes widened from paranoia. "Stay calm…" She murmured as quietly as she could, momentarily closing her eyes and sliding her hand into the pouch that held her garment grid.

Crack. Thump. Thump. Clank.

Rikku's eyes opened again, this time now vivid with fear. Those sounds—someone was coming. Someone was coming _very_ close-and fast. She didn't know what roamed around at night, for her, Yuna, and Paine had always found a place to stay the night, rather than just outside in the open as she was doing now.

The first dressphere that popped into her mind was soon found in her grasp. In a second, she had transformed, her weapon held firmly in her grip, waiting for the thing to come.

"Bring it on." She growled, as she saw a shadowy figure turn the corner.

………

Gippal gave out a yelp as he gave a wild turn to his right, falling to the ground on his front. He splayed out his hands so he got a fairly safe landing, but a moment later he collapsed. Fear ran through his veins, and he immediately stood back up, his hair now wild and his heart pumping wildly.

A bullet. A _bullet_ had just whizzed past his head. He had narrowly died, and just _barely_ survived. This was insane.

_Get your weapon…GET YOUR WEAPON!_ A voice cried in his mind.

Hurriedly Gippal fumbled in his pouch. The small tool fell to the ground, and he cursed his trembling hands. He _hated_ being caught off guard. As he bent down to grab it, he froze as he heard another bullet whizzing above his head, where he would have been if he had still been standing. So maybe he _had_ to thank his trembling hands.

_Whew. Close one_. He thought, shaking as he stood back up. Okay, grenades are easy; he'd used them all the time. First, pull the tab. Good, good…

He gripped on tight to the grenade, and leaned back as if to throw it, which he was about to, in the direction that the bullet had come from.

But something came at his legs with such a force, at such an amazing speed; he felt his knees buckle underneath him. His body fell to the ground a second time, and once more he cursed, though this time it was to the thing that had hit his legs. As he got up on his knees, something came and kneed him in the back. He let out a grunt and tried to twist his body, but whatever was holding him had him in the tightest grip. Probably a stinking _bandit_…

"Shove off!" He cried, rearing up from the ground so the thing that had been on his back fell to the ground. He heard a helpless squeal escape it.

Wait…squeal?

He spun around, eye wild. "Rikku?!"

………

"…Oops." She managed with a shaky smile and a quiet, yet nervous giggle. How was she supposed to know it was Gippal? Rikku had thought it had been a bandit, or an abnormally shaped fiend. She did have to pride herself on being a good fighter, though. Two well-aimed bullet shots and an awesome kick to the legs were nothing to frown upon. But…if one of those bullets had hit him…

Gippal seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

After unwillingly pulling her up from the ground, he blew up.

"ONE OF THOSE THINGS COULD HAVE HIT ME RIKKU!"

She stayed silent, knowing to wait until he was done venting.

"I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU ALL NIGHT LONG, TRYING TO SAVE YOUR UNGRATEFUL BUTT, AND WHADDYA DO?! ATTACK ME! WITH BULLETS, FOR PETE'S SAKE! I NARROWLY MISSED THEM, RIKKU! NARROWLY! HOW COULD YOU—WHY DID YOU—"

He sputtered uselessly for a few moments, his arms making useless, yet wild, motions. Rikku crossed her arms, tapped her foot, and narrowed her eyes at him. His voice quieted into silence, and she gave a heavy sigh.

"Look, Gippal, it's nighttime. I was nervous, and scared. I thought you were an enemy! After two-no-THREE years of traveling over Spira and fighting big bad guys, you kinda get the impression there's somethin' evil lurking in every corner. And it's not my fault my aim is so good." She added with a sly smile.

"The _moon_ is _shining_ like the _sun_." Gippal stated through gritted teeth. "How could you not see me?!"

"Who said I couldn't see you? I knew perfectly well where you were. I was just scared because it was nighttime, not because of the amount of light. I'm just nervous at this time of day. I'm not used to being alone out here. And besides, I wasn't really looking at you when I came up and attacked you…"

Gippal sighed and shut his eye, as if this would calm him. It seemed to.

"Why did you run away?" He finally asked.

She blinked. A number of times, actually. Gippal wasn't freaking out. He was actually asking a normal, sensible question! Too bad Rikku didn't want to answer it.

"You should know." She answered snobbily.

"Is it because of me?"

"Maybe."

"_Rikku_."

"Do you know, or do you not know?"

"WHY do you _think_ I'm ASKING?!"

"Fine. It's because of you. Happy?"

"No. Elaborate."

"You told me to get out." Rikku sniffed, feeling her eyes well up with unwanted, and what she had thought were used up, tears.

Gippal sighed heavily. "I just meant out of the _room_."

"Why? So you can goggle over your many pictures of women? Some that are of women that aren't even NEAR your age?"

Gippal frowned. "No. Because I was _disappointed_ in you."

Disappointed. Wow. That wasn't a word she had heard used on her in quite a while. Usually everyone was saying "good job!" or "well done!" but never disappointed.

"Oh."

There was a terrible silence. "Do you know what you look like when you're mad?" Rikku finally asked, feeling her lip tremble. She bit it to try and steady it.

"Annoyed? Aggravated? Frustra—"

"CRAZED, Gippal!" She finally cried, uncrossing her arms and laying them at her sides. "CRAZED. You looked like a maniac. I felt so…so small, and—and inferior…" She sniffed, but continued.

"You look like—like you're insane. You look completely different, ya know? You just, totally _change_, and it's too much to handle with you yelling already, but then you have to look…crazy?" She let out a small hiccup, and clamped her hands over her mouth. THAT was what had really been bothering her. As weird as it sounded, but Rikku _hated_ being scared of someone she thought she was so close to.

Gippal sighed heavily and walked over. He placed both hands on her shoulder and bent down so the two were level. His eye was filled with sadness, and Rikku immediately felt guilty.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly. So quietly, Rikku almost couldn't hear him.

"For what?" She sniffed out.

"For being a jerk." He said with a small smile. "I never actually meant to scare you so much you'd run away…"

He sighed and stood up once more, running a hand through his hair. "Do you know why I actually don't have as many pictures as you?"

Rikku was silent, realizing a blush was creeping into his cheeks. "No." She finally said suspiciously.

He sighed, and his cheeks were pink again. "This is just to clear things up. It's because…because….Icagirjunmyu…"

Rikku let out a small giggle as he looked at the ground. "I'm sorry. I didn't catch that."

"Because—because if I had the chance to look at a picture of you, I would!" He finally cried, and Rikku saw his ears grow red as well. She blinked.

"Huh?"

"I had to get rid of all your pictures because if they were just sitting in that drawer, I would look at them. All the time. In fact, I probably wouldn't stop. That's why I thought you might think me as a stalker, or something. But I guess you got the wrong impression…"

Rikku felt herself blushing too, and coughed. "So you mean…you don't hate me?"

Gippal shook his head fervently. "No!"

"And you…don't keep those pictures in there because you like them more?"

"No way."

"And you still _love_ me?"

"Ye-WHAT?!" He asked, his eye growing wide. "That's _cheating_ Rikku!"

She giggled and grabbed his arm. "Of course it is! I don't play fair." She winked at him. "Now come one. Thanks very, _very_ much for coming out to save me, but we should probably head back to the temple now."

Gippal didn't move. His body froze to the ground. Rikku turned around and frowned slightly, tugging at his sleeve harder. "Err-Gippal? Come on?"

He slowly shook his head. "We can't."

She felt her jaw drop. "Can't?! Why not?! I miss my bedroom thing already! Gippal? Please?"

He shook his head again. "We _can't_ Rikku."

"W-Why not?" Rikku's lip trembled _again_. Well, she just thought she had gotten a stable life. Sure, there was Wynter, and sure, she had to do paper work, but now they _couldn't _go back?

"But it's your baby." Rikku added with a small pout. Gippal grinned sadly.

"Yea…but we just can't."

"_Why. Not._" Rikku growled. Gippal eyed her warily.

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"YES."

"Positive?"

"YES."

"Abso-positively?"

"_YES_." Rikku said, grimacing.

"Fine." He said with a small frown. His eye seemed to darken immediately, and Rikku felt a little worried. She let go of his jacket, and instead moved her arms to hug her chilly arms instead. And they weren't cold because of the air.

"Rikku—to put it bluntly—you're in danger."

Her jaw dropped. Again.

"I'm—what?"

"In. _Danger_." He said, without trace of a smile.

"You're joking."

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"I'm in danger of what?"

"Oh, you know. Theft, kidnapping, maybe a little torture—oh, and death."

Her stomach churned, and she felt her legs weaken. "D-Death? From what."

"No time for that now." He said, his voice suddenly urgent at Rikku's change. She now looked quite sickly. "We need to get out of here."

"What's—here?"

"This place."

"SPIRA?!"

"No, genius. Djose—Moonflow. ESPECIALLY Moonflow Pass. Now come on-we need to cross the beach."

"NO." Rikku said firmly, feeling herself come back to normal almost immediately. "I can handle death threats, but I _cannot_ handle dead spirits."

"Dead spirits? That's a little redundant." Gippal said with a cocky grin.

"You _know_ what I mean."

"Do you want to live?"

"Yes."

"Then follow me."

"No." She said again, feeling even more tears spring at her eyes. Gippal seemed to notice her wariness, and came closer to her again. He looked down at her, forcing her to look up.

"What?" She asked meekly.

"Look, I know I didn't tell you about your dangerous situation in the most pleasant way. In fact, it was probably second worst. But you can worry about it _later_. I know that sounds cold-hearted and mean, but unless you actually want to survive this ordeal, you'll come with me."

"B-B-"

"I'll protect you." He finally said quietly, grabbing for her hands and holding them in his large ones. She felt her cheeks grow hot, but looking up at him once more, he looked dead serious.

She felt the tightened muscles in her body relax.

"Promise?" She asked shakily. He nodded firmly.

"Promise." He stuck out his pinky, and she let out a smile, entwining her pinky with his. They shook their pinkies and both gave a soft laugh. Gippal held onto her hand though as they walked slowly down the path.

"Are you gonna be okay?" He asked. Rikku nodded, though it was a lie. Inside, she felt sick.

But she decided Gippal was right. She could deal with the shock of death—in fact, it was _so_ shocking, she just felt numb, really. But she would deal with it later. The first thing she would need to do was cross this ghost-infested beach.

With Gippal safely guiding her…or so she hoped.

**A/N**: Another kind of filler chapter, though not really. Okay, nevermind, just ignore that. Umm…hope I did better on describing the areas and not leaving such gaping holes everywhere-I hope it didn't just confuse you, or anything. Thanks to Gippikku for letting me know Nhadala's age. Gippal is a very dirty man. Heehee.  
AGAIN: You are not supposed to know why and how Rikku is in danger. T'is all explained in the next chapter. I'm not good at this... But hint: it has to do with Gippal and Saleed, thus the secrecy.

And when he asks her if she wants to live, and then he says follow me, I just realized while going through it again it sounded like off of my Casper movie. X-x WEEEIRD. Er—anyway…

Review please, I hope you liked it!


	14. Of Spirits and Stories

**A/N**: Here's another chapter! Thanks _SO_ much for all the great reviews, they make my day, and help my writing! Umm…not much to say, except I hope I can fit in some stuff about Rikku and Gippal and their past and whatnot…hopefully. Don't count on it though.

**The Beach, Nighttime**

"A-At least it's light out." Rikku managed, her eyes darting around the scenery. Her and Gippal were walking slowly across the long stretch of pearly white sand. Waves lapped calmly onto the shore, anything but the same as those crashing against the cliffs at Djose Highroad. The darkness seemed to be getting thicker and darker as the night went on though, even _if_ the moon was shining brilliantly.

"Can we hurry it up Gippal?" She asked, her voice higher than she would have liked it.

"Why?" Gippal asked, slowing down even more and throwing an arm lazily over her shoulder. "I'm sure I saw you on one of those dating services…long walks on the beach are your favorite, aren't they?"

Rikku caught the sarcasm as he gave her his genuine smirk. She almost melted underneath it, but instead, did what she always did—hurt him.

She bit the hand of the arm that was over her shoulders. With a yelp he withdrew it quickly.

"Ouch, Cid's Girl!" He moaned, scrutinizing his hand. "I think you drew some blood."

"Good." She said with a smile. There. Her mind had been off of the ghosts for at least a…a _second_.

"I thought Lady Yuna had sent all the spirits here." Gippal finally said, glancing around. "That's what I heard, anyway."

Rikku glanced up at him questioningly. It was so weird to hear someone so close to her calling her cousin 'Lady' Yuna! But she got over it, shaking her head.

"She told me she had…Tidus and everyone else that had been here backed her up on that. But I guess some of them just didn't want to leave…they're all too emotionally attached to Spira, or something. Maybe some had families, or—or lovers, or something that stopped them from leaving…"

She didn't notice Gippal looking down at her admiringly immediately. But when she did, she was a bit taken aback. He had never really…admired her, or, praised her, on something.

"What?" She asked, a blush growing on her cheeks.

"Did someone tell you that?" Gippal asked, an eyebrow cocked.

"No…I just thought of it right no—" Rikku froze. Her left foot stopped in mid-air, and her eyes were locked in the position of wide saucers. Her mouth was slightly agape, and she was looking to Gippal's left.

Immediately, a chill swept over the two. "Rikku?" Gippal asked, shaking her shoulders gently, his eyebrow's furrowed with worry. "Rikku?"

"S-S-Sp—Spi—" Gippal didn't need her to finish. He whirled around to see something that would probably haunt him for the rest of his life.

There, slowly climbing out the sand, to put it bluntly, was a spirit. The body was a man's, and it was a sort of shadow, grey in color, yet it glowed with a sort of evil aura. Gippal felt the need to run—he could even hear his brain screaming at him to move, but he just—couldn't. With a fascinated horror, (but just plain horror to Rikku), the two watched the mangled man arise from the sand. His flesh was cut in places, large wounds allowed bones that should have normally been hidden to show. The bottom part of his left leg was bent at an odd angle, and it seemed to be barely hanging on. The worse part was a large whole where normally a heart would have been. Of course, this being was smoky, so it was barely noticeable, but at the same time, you could _clearly_ tell it was there.

"Holy Spira." Gippal muttered, his eye wide. He felt something tugging at his arm. He looked down. It was Rikku, and she was crying.

"Gippal. I need to get out of here. Now." She said this all in an eerie sort of calm, even though her face was livid with fear, and the tears wouldn't stop falling. Gippal nodded slowly, and grabbed her hand in his. Giving her a reassuring smile, he took a step away from the spirit.

But he stopped when a shiver ran up his spine.

"Where do you think you are going?"

The spirit had talked. His voice was raspy and quiet, as if it was barely there. Like it didn't belong where it was. It almost seemed foreign, or of someone's imagination. But it froze Rikku and Gippal in their tracks.

"Answer me."

Gippal was the first to turn around, though he realized his body was trembling. Rikku clung on his hand, and he was beginning to feel it go numb.

"Gippal!" Rikku hissed. "Answer him!"

He gave her a questioning glanced, as in 'why ME'? But she merely pushed him forward.

"We were just…going…to leave…that way." Gippal pointed his finger towards Mushroom Rock Road.

Rikku heard his voice. It was meek and quiet, something she wasn't used to. Was Gippal—scared? Well, THAT wasn't good. He was supposed to be protecting her, but if he was scared…

Rikku shivered as the thing stared at them, his eyes rolling. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying this was all over. She felt her knees weaken underneath her, and she clung even tighter to Gippal.

"You are scared." He said, and Rikku risked opening an eye to see something shimmer in the corner. Before she could see what the first spirit was doing, she saw another one spouting out of the sand. It was a female, and she seemed barely older than herself…

"Well…this _is_ kinda creepy." Gippal muttered, the toe of his shoe digging nervously into the sand.

"Creepy?" He gave a harsh laugh, though Rikku was barely listening. Her head was moving left and right at a freakishly fast pace. She was watching all the other spirits rising up from the ground and standing, shaking their limbs (if they had any), like they didn't normally wake up at night. Rikku gulped, and couldn't help a small squeak escape her throat, though neither Gippal nor the spirits seemed to notice. They were all watching the man. Rikku nearly cried as she saw more and more standing up behind those in front. It was like a giant wave of smoky grey-ness, slowly growing larger. She wondered how many there were…how many there needed to be to kill two, scared, teenagers.

"I'll tell you what's creepy. Facing Sin down-and DYING." He gave a dark chuckle, and his eyes started to roll again. All the other spirits, mangled and bloody as they were, let out chuckles as well. Rikku saw Gippal start when they began to laugh. He didn't notice…he hadn't realized how many had awoken, how many were now cornering them slowly…

"Creepy is never being able to leave. We have to stay on this beach for the rest of eternity."

As the spirit gave another evil chuckle, Rikku felt her hands twitch to her blades. Oooh, if she could just swipe that one closest to her, show 'em what she was made of…

The spirit stopped, and watched Rikku with hardened eyes. "We cannot be killed." He said simply, yet the words were filled with an infuriated chill.

Rikku's eyes widened, and with a glance up, she saw just how scared Gippal was. Now both knew the danger of their predicament—these things could kill _them_, but they couldn't kill the _spirits_.

Not to mention the odds were, what? Two to two _hundred_?!

"Please…" Rikku finally muttered, feeling her lips tremble as she spoke. She bit the insides of her cheeks for a moment, took a deep breath, and started over.

"Please, just let us pass. We're not going to hurt you, we just need to get to Mushroom Rock Road as soon as possible. _Please_. You must understand. When you left to come to war, didn't you want to get here, unharmed? Well…we need to get _out_ of here, unharmed."

Rikku didn't know if that statement had made any sense, but she was glad to see the spirits had stopped advancing.

"But I came here, and got nothing. I died. I wasted my life. Everything I had-is gone. I have nothing anymore. What's the use of letting _you_ pass, if you are just going to die anyway? If this is so important to you, danger must be involved. With danger, comes death."

"Not necessarily!" Gippal cried before thinking. Everyone looked at him, even Rikku. She saw him blush and let out a small cough.

"What I—er—mean to say is…um, there can be success. Without danger, there would be no success either, right? If we could just…pass…success?" Gippal started to grow quieter and quieter as the spirits came closer, and Rikku felt her stomach clench. The spirits didn't care. They had no compassion anymore. What did they care if Rikku and Gippal got out alive? It didn't hurt _them_, or anything…

"Won't you just LISTEN?!" Rikku cried, feeling the tears that had stopped starting to fall again. "PLEASE!"

But the spirits just closed them in, with dull _thunks_ as they slowly made their way.

"Rikku, we have no choice." Gippal said, looking down at her eyes, his face an abnormal shade of pale.

"What?" She asked, lips trembling.

"Rikku, we have to _run_."

"Running will get us nowhere!" She cried. "You said you would protect me! You _promised_ me, Gippal!"

He gazed at her with an expression of a lost puppy. Rikku felt her heart nearly break, and she knew he was sorry.

"I know, I know I couldn't do it. I'm terrible at protecting, all right? But we have to run. If we get out of here, then I did my job. If not…" He looked back at the spirits. "We join the party."

"GIPPA—"

But before she could yell at him to take this thing seriously, he grabbed her hand and ran off in the opposite direction in which they had come, towards Mushroom Rock Road.

Rikku ripped her hand out of his and ran by herself, keeping up with Gippal. "They're—gonna—catch—us—" She cried between breathes. The two risked glances back to see the spirits slowly rising off of the ground, and now started to glide towards them.

"They'll pick up speed!" Rikku screamed in a defeated sort of way. "There's nothing that can stop them, Gippal!"

"THINK!" He cried, his eye trained forward. "These spirits can't go forever! There has to be a point in which they can't cross!" The two scanned the area, but neither could see a place that would stop them. They were closer. Much closer. Rikku could feel the chill they sent down her spine, and her legs were starting to weaken-she was slowing down.

"Gippal, they're gonna get me!" She screamed, feeling her head whirl with lonely thoughts. "Gippal…"

Something flashed orange in the corner. Rikku forced her head to look up. There! On the rock! Barely visible, waving in the wind, was a small piece of silk, back from when the war had been going on. There, on the silk, was the symbol of…

"Gippal!" She screamed, pointing at the cloth. "Get it! Get the—"

She hadn't even realized what was happening. She felt something cold grab her arm. She screamed and looked back to see the man holding her.

"Your little friend is already being taken." He growled, and the spirit pointed a smoky finger to the left, where Rikku was horrified to see a large pile of transparent figures on top of Gippal, who was screaming and kicking, his arms flailing, trying to keep them off…

"GIPPAL!" Rikku shrieked, feeling an anger surge through her body at the spirits. "GIPPAL!" She shrieked again, sobbing.

She couldn't see him like this. No. Gippal had _always_ been there. Sure, annoying, sure, arrogant, but always _there_. Beside her. In her thoughts. But, to see him struggling, barely able to breathe…he wouldn't make it out. He was going to die if Rikku didn't do something. The truth stung, but she knew it was true.

"Get OFF me!" She screamed at the ghost ripping her arm away. He hadn't been expecting that, that's for sure. Before he could send more spirits on her, Rikku sprinted towards the fabric. Without even understanding why she thought it would do something, she felt her fingers skim across the fabric.

_Just rip it off, just rip it OFF…_

"NEVER!" Cried a spirit, and it jumped on her back and wrapped its arms around her neck. Rikku let out a strangled cry, feeling her body being pulled away from the cloth. She needed it. She needed it to SAVE Gippal…

A feeling she didn't know she had surged from the tip of her toes to the top of her head. With an angered roar, she spun around, her body sparking with electricity. She felt the bodies flinging off of her…or at least, a number of them. She was now light enough to grab it; she could feel the one spirit suffocating her…

_Gippal_…

She finally felt her fingers wrap around the silk. She ripped it off triumphantly, and waved it in the air. Immediately the spirit shrieked and shrunk back, as did the others surrounding her. She grinned down at the fabric, which in it was sewed the symbol of…

"Yevon?!" The main spirit cried, shock written across his ghostly features. "But how did you—how could you—"

Rikku advanced towards them, waving the cloth that was barely larger than her palm. "Yevon is everything you hate! Sure, it was a backstabber, sure, it was phony, but it had MEANING! It meant so much to the people of Spira. It kept them happy at nights and feeling safe. You LOATHE that, don't you?! You hate happiness, you hate people having a good life when you don't! So this is taboo, isn't it? This is the point you can't cross!"

She thrust it out like a sword, and the group of spirits backed up even more. She ran up to Gippal, and those spirits too ran off, shuddering and cursing and screaming as if they were on fire. She immediately kneeled beside Gippal, and she lifted his arm for a pulse. Anything…please, anything…

_Thud. Thud_. He was alive! Oh, Thank Yevon he was alive! She felt a sad smile spread across her face, and hurriedly wiped the tears from her eyes. She glared at the spirits and waved the cloth.

"Yevon is against you! It forbids you to pass! Go back to your holes and don't come out! Or Yevon'll get you!"

Of course, she forgot to mention Yevon had been destroyed, but…New Yevon counted, didn't it?

With hisses and shrieks, the spirits disappeared in a flurry of black. In an instant they were gone, and Rikku realized just now how much her body trembled, and how many tears had fallen from her eyes. She had been scared…so scared…she thought she was going to die…

"Rikku?" Came a slurred voice from beside her. Rikku looked down to see Gippal's eye open, though she knew he was disoriented. He propped himself up on his elbows.

"It's okay Gippal." She said, leaning down and hugging him. She let out a small sob. "Everything's okay…"

The two had made it across the beach. Gippal was still groggy, and he barely knew what was happening. Rikku had to lead him past the place she had grabbed the cloth, up the slope, and on top of the grass area, near the Youth League, though still in that large field beside it.

"Gippal?" She asked hesitantly, her eyes watching him. His body stumbled to the ground, and his eye was watching the ocean the two could see clearly. It was an orangey color, because the sun was just starting to come up.

"It was so scary." He finally croaked out. Rikku looked down at him in surprise and sat beside him, hugging her knees and resting he head sideways on them so she could watch Gippal.

"I know." She whispered back. "But we're safe now."

"But I couldn't do it, Rikku!" He cried, facing her. She saw all sorts of sad emotions in his eye, in turn making _her_ feel sad…

"Do what?" She asked.

"Protect you! I promised, but instead, I—I get swallowed up and—and—and nearly _killed_…"

"But we still got out!"

"Because of you!" Gippal cried, running a hand through his hair. "Rikku, I just couldn't do it! You were brave enough, strong enough, to keep going! I couldn't even keep them _off_ of me…"

"There were so many on top of you, Gippal!" Rikku cried, hoping he wouldn't feel guilty. "There was _one_ on me, barely holding my arm down! It's all right! You did all you could!"

"And it got me nowhere. I can't do it. I thought I could—could protect you…even _then_, not _now_…I'm just USELESS!" He stood up abruptly and strode to the top of the field, where he stood alone watching the ocean. Rikku watched him curiously and walked up beside him.

The two were silent, just watching the ocean. "What do you mean, you couldn't protect me then? On the beach?"

"No…" Gippal sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "No, much before that. I'd say when you were fifteen."

Rikku's eyes grew wide. "But that's when we were da—"

"I _know_, I _know_…" His eye lifted up and continued to watch the waves in silence. Rikku waited, knowing sooner or later he would spill. Curiosity was killing her, but she forced herself to stay silent.

The quiet was deafening. Rikku couldn't handle it. She was just about to say something, when…

"Remember that last social thing we went to? And out on the balcony I said there was more to the break up then me not being able to handle a relationship?"

Rikku nodded. "Yea…"

"Well, I wasn't lying. It was true. You see, I didn't have any parents…" He turned to her. "You knew that already. I came to Home because I was alone, but you knew that. Right?"

She nodded once more, wondering what any of this had to do with him protecting her. "Yea…"

"Well, I lied about how my parents died. They didn't die in a hover accident. They died because they were murdered. By a man named Saleed."

Rikku gasped. "Gippal, I'm so sorry…"

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter. What matters is the murderer. He—he didn't exactly _ever_ leave me alone."

Rikku watched him carefully. "Why not?"

"He-he said he needed me for something…I couldn't say no, or he said he would kill me. I had to leave Home every month or so and go out in the sand to meet him, because he wouldn't come into Home. I was scared to death. Without being in Home, I thought he would kill me there. But he didn't. He kept repeating he needed something. So he came, and told me things…he would tell me how he knew where my parents were, what they did…he told me why he killed them—so he could reach me easier, without being protected by someone. He'd haunt me with reminders of when they…when they…"

He hung his head and was silent. Rikku merely patted his arm, and he let out a sigh, continuing.

"Finally, one day, he told me to become friends with you. I didn't understand him, I was, after all, very young, but he told me being lonely was no fun, that I should come be your friend. So I did. But you annoyed me. You were rude, and you seemed to think I was gross. I told him this. He said if I didn't become your friend, he'd kill me, or destroy Home, or other threat's like that."

Rikku started to feel her stomach tighten.

"Finally, I was older. I was thirteen, and he was still paying regular visits. I was a friend with you now, and I had to admit it was nice having a friend. I wished so much to tell you about my real past, and about that man, but I couldn't risk it.

That's when he asked me about my feelings. I didn't understand. He yelled at me, and forced me to tell him about—oh you know, emotions and feelings and all that crap."

Gippal let out another sigh, and Rikku saw a blush in his cheeks.

"Then, I realized I liked you. A lot. I couldn't hide it from him. He got it out of me. He would always grin evilly, saying things would work out perfectly, everything would be fine. He was always underneath a hood, so I couldn't even report him to police. It was scary. I never knew who I was dealing with, other than a murderer. But, anyway, he asked me if I was dating anyone. I said no. He would always say 'what about that Rikku'? And I would blush, and say no. He would get angry. He kept yelling at me, telling me to date you, get closer to you…

And so I did. We started dating. I learned many things about you, like about your mother, how you feel left out, how Cid sometimes was disappointed in you, how Brother was overprotective…I realized that I liked you so much more now than I had before…the man didn't seem to like that. He would force me to tell him what I learned about you every trip he made. He knew if I lied-he'd hurt me. So, unwillingly, I told him. One day, he seemed satisfied after something I told him, though I can't remember.

Then he told me to break up with you. I was shocked, and hurt. I didn't want to. I never wanted to, really. But he told me if I didn't, he would kill you. And that was worse then killing me. I fought with him. I argued with him. But he always won. He was strong, he was a murderer. I really had no choice.

So I broke up with you. I still remember that night, and it still hurts. But you see, that's what I meant the other night. There was another reason to why I broke up with you…if I hadn't, he would have killed you. But now I realize, he needed something from you. And he was going to get it through me. He pretty much forced us to be friends, forced us to date, and forced us to break up in the end. He thought I might become too protective of you, too close if I stayed. So after we broke up, I was angry with him. Angrier than I had ever been. I went searching for him and…and found him. I—I—"

Gippal made a throwing sort of motion. "I tried to kill him. I didn't care that _I_ would be a murderer. I just wanted him out of my life. I just wanted him to go. He had ruined everything I saw as important and meaningful, and I just wanted him to suffer. I burned him. I set fire to everything around him. And ran. I thought he was dead. These past few years, I thought he was dead. But he's come back. He's come back to get you."

He let out a small sob and sunk to the grass. "I'm sorry Rikku. I played right into his hands. I was _never_ good at protecting you. I did everything to help _me_. I did everything for _myself_. That's why we have to run…we have to get out…"

Rikku felt her writhing stomach turn into nothing at all. There was nothing there-she was empty. So this man had…had pretty much planned out her and Gippal's whole lives?! That was really creepy. And he needed her?! Needed her for what?!

Rikku pushed all this aside and sat down beside Gippal. She wrapped her arms around his neck and dug her head into his shoulder.

"I never meant to hurt you." He finally murmured, wrapping his arms around waist. Rikku shuffled over into his lap and smiled up at him.

Gippal was suddenly reminded of that night on the boat.

"Gippal…don't worry. You saved me. You broke up with me to save me. How can you say you've never protected me? You got me off of the exploding boat, you gave me a job, you stopped fiends from attacking me when I was little…you've done so much for me Gippal. I should be the sorry one. If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have needed _you_, or anything."

Gippal sighed and looked down into her eyes, which weren't filled with sadness. They were filled with—with _hope_.

"But—"

"No buts. I know telling me everything took a lot of guts, because you've been hiding it all these years. And I'm in a strangely forgiving mood, so take advantage of it. Don't _worry_."

The two gazed at each other for a long time.

"As long as we're together, we can do this." Rikku whispered, and both knew she was serious.

And correct.

**A/N**: WHOA. LONG. HARD. I hope Gippal's explanation made sense, I hope I didn't forget anything important…don't worry, Sunny and Co. are STILL part of the story! Sorry if this one was boring, especially Gippal's speech. But READ IT, or it won't make sense. X-x

Thanks again for everything, and once again, I REALLY hope it made sense.

Review, please and thankee!


	15. Curious Intentions

**A/N**: Ack! I haven't updated in _forever_. So, SO sorry! Thanks for all the reviews guys. And sorry for Gippal's sudden softness, but he just cares for Rikku too much to act tough about something like that.

-nudge-

**Mushroom Rock Road, Early Dawn**

"Giippaaaalll…can we _please_ rest?" Rikku whined helplessly, her body slouched and arms swinging lazily beside her, like she couldn't feel them. Big bags were underneath her eyes, and every ten seconds she'd let out a wide yawn like a hippopotamus.

In front of her walked Gippal, whose strides were long and quick, like he was in a hurry. Which, in this case he was. The sun had slowly started to rise, and the top of it was peeking over the horizon. The normally dark red rocks of the Mushroom Rock Road were now tinged a pinky orange from the sunrise. The sky was still dark, but cloudless. The crescent moon was _just_ starting to fade away, so everything was still hidden in shadows in places.

"GIPPAL!" Rikku finally cried, stopping, standing straight, and stamping her foot. "I. NEED. SLEEP."

She watched him turn around with his brow furrowed in an annoyed sort of way, but she didn't flinch. She stood there, her hands on her hips and a frown set on her face.

"I'm tired beyond belief. I haven't had a good sleep in two nights! I mean, last night I didn't sleep _at all_, and before that I had to lay on the stone ground on a…"

Rikku suddenly felt herself choked up. She let out a cough to straighten her voice. Why did _that_ happen? It's not like she had been living in the Faction for long…

When Rikku looked back up she saw Gippal standing in front of her. "What?" She snapped, eyes sparking.

"We can't rest." He said simply, and Rikku knew that tone in his voice—he wasn't about to give up either.

"But Gippal, if I don't sleep, we won't get far anyway!"

"If you sleep, you'll _never_ wake up. We need to get as far away from the Moonflow as possible."

"Why?!"

"Because he's there!" Gippal hissed, and Rikku noticed that familiar anger in his eye. She felt her body begging to cower, but she wouldn't let it.

"They're gonna follow us no matter _where_ we are, Gippal! Running away from your problems isn't going to do a thing!"

"Well dealing with them didn't do me much good either, did it?!" Gippal roared. Rikku continued to stand there, her mouth thin and set. She watched him breath heavily, run a hand through his hair, and then glance at her again.

"So you don't know what they want from you?"

"I was hoping _you_ would tell _me_."

It looked like Gippal was trying to hide a smirk, but the next thing she knew, he had grabbed her arm.

"Do you really wanna sleep _that_ bad?"

"_YES_." Rikku managed, finally pleased he understood what she had wanted.

Then she saw a small grin creep up onto his face. She glanced down to see his hand still gripping her arm.

"Gippal?" She asked in a quiet sort of voice. "What're you gonna d—"

But before she could finish, Gippal had swung his other arm on her waist, and moved the other to her waist as well. He lifted her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"GIPPAL!" She shrieked, her voice ringing off of the rocks around them. "GIPPAL WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!"

He just smiled. "If you wanna sleep that bad, I'll give you a _piggy-back ride_."

Rikku couldn't help but let out a small smile. She knew _exactly_ what he was referring to.

"_Gippal! I can't run as fast as you!" _

_The young boy at ten years of age whirled around to see a small Rikku plodding along behind him. Her forehead was sweaty and her eyes were set in a concentrated sort of way._

"_Rikku, if you don't hurry, that stupid sand worm'll catch us!"_

"_I-I can't help it." She let out a small sob and stopped walking. She sniffled and rubbed at her eyes with her tiny fists. Gippal noticed her legs were trembling from the effort to run. He ran over to her._

"_You sure you can't run?" She nodded sadly, letting out another hiccup._

"_Want a piggy-back ride?" He finally asked, cringing at the thought. Rikku stopped crying and looked up, a small smile tugging on her lips._

"_Really?"_

_He shrugged as if it were nothing, but really his cheeks were burning. "Well, since you can't run, and no offense, but **I** don't want to be eaten by a sand worm."_

_Rikku let out a small giggle and ran behind Gippal. She threw her arms around his neck, and lifted her body up so he could hold onto her legs._

"_Giddyup, Pony!" She cried, giggling. Gippal couldn't help but roll his eyes. Thank goodness Rikku couldn't see._

"_Hold on tight, Cid's Girl—I probably run faster than you're used to."_

_And with that, Gippal burst off towards Home, causing Rikku to grip around his neck even tighter, letting out a shriek of delight as the wind rushed through her hair..._

Rikku was in that same position now, clinging on tightly to Gippal. He wasn't running, but he was going at a pretty fast pace.

"Mind if I…sleep?" Rikku asked drowsily, her eyelids fluttering as Gippal continued to walk, holding onto her legs.

"Nope." Was all he managed. Rikku gave a small smile and rested her head on his shoulder, not really realizing what she was doing. "Thank you…Gippal."

Gippal soon heard Rikku emitting some snores. He hoped her arms wouldn't lose their grip, or she'd go toppling over.

He couldn't help but feel butterflies deep down in his stomach. He was surprised Rikku had so willingly agreed to a ride. Usually she probably would have made a fuss and called him a pervert or something along those lines…

He shrugged it off and continued to walk, discovering just how heavy Rikku was. "Yevon, what does she _eat_?" He muttered through his teeth, slowing down a bit.

Where could he go? Rikku was right…though he hated to admit it, they would probably follow them wherever they went. After all, Saleed said he had granted them the power to see things they normally couldn't. In other words, them.

He wondered just how many people were working for him. They could be in disguise, anywhere they went. Then, like always, his mind wandered off to something else. That something else was how Gippal had suddenly poured out the whole story he'd been hiding from her for three years. He shook his head, a bit disgusted with himself. He had made a promise…he would _never_ tell Rikku the real reasons. He thought she might not have been able to handle it. Clearly, she was tougher than he thought.

Or maybe she just didn't _really_ understand the danger.

Yea, that made more sense.

"Excuse me." Gippal stopped walking and turned his head to the left, a bit shocked someone would be up at this time.

"What?" He snapped, looking at the Yevon Priestess. What a loser. True, he _should_ be nicer, now that Yevon was really gone. But still, he couldn't help but hate them for what their stupid leaders had done to the Al Bhed before.

Gippal quickly took in her appearance—long brown hair done up in a bun, with a few bangs in front of her hazel eyes. She had on that stupid oval hat thing all those Yevon people wore, and she wore the long, wide-sleeved robe with designs sewed in all over it. This one was different colors than normal though. Her robes were red and gold with white sleeves and hems.

"May I ask where you're going?" She asked in a timid voice.

"Looks like you just did." Gippal grunted, internally cursing himself for deciding to carry Rikku the Sumo Wrestler.

She gave him a small smile. "Well, where _are_ you going?"

_She could be a spy_. Were his first thoughts. Gippal shrugged.

"Up north?Down south? Who knows, who cares?" He asked with a sort of hiss, hoping she got the hint and left.

But she didn't.

"You _are_ Gippal, the Machine Faction Leader, correct?"

He paused, hearing the gears in his brain whirr and click. "Yes." He answered slowly, realizing he couldn't really hide it. After all, he _was_ kind of famous.

She quickly pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket, and Gippal saw it had been folded many times and a opened a number of times as well. How he could see this, even _he_ didn't know. Her eyes skimmed the paper, and her lips muttered soundless words.

There was a moment of awkward silence, in which Gippal shifted Rikku so she didn't weigh so much.

"Oh! Sorry. I was just sent to…to give you this." She thrust the paper into Gippal's face, waiting for him to take it in his hands.

"Err—I'm kinda held up here." He said through clenched teeth, nodding at the hands gripping Rikku's legs. "Wanna just read it to me?"

She seemed kind of nervous…did Gippal really look that evil? Well, she was probably a bit creeped out. After all, she probably wasn't expecting him to be carrying a girl that seemed dead on his back. She most likely thought he was a killer.

"Oh—oh okay." She coughed and flattened the letter nervously. Gippal rolled his eyes. _Seriously_, could she get _any_ slower?

"I, Baralai, Praetor of New Yevon, send Athilda (that's me), to Gippal, Leader of the Machine Faction on important business.

I ask him to come to Bevelle A.S.A.P for an important discussion. Many faithful people to the Yevon religion have been disappearing lately. I have also heard news of random Spiran's of no important purpose being taken, as well as a number of Al Bhed.

Sadly, a number of these are from the Machine Faction.

Now, I do not know why Gippal hasn't contacted Bevelle yet, so I am sending this note to make sure of his safety at the present time, and his safety for the trip to Bevelle. Sadly, I cannot send any transportation means due to the dangers of sabotage, so I am sending my faithful guide and assistant to lead Gippal. Please be here in four days time for a meeting of the missing peoples.

I must report that, sadly, an important person had also been taken hostage by these mysterious people. Lady Yuna. Do not tell anyone of this, even someone close to you that you think you may be able to trust. I am sorry for this abrupt news, but I need Gippal immediately.

Signed, Baralai, Praetor of New Yevon."

There was a silence. Athilda coughed. Gippal stared at her, open mouthed and frozen.

"Mr. Gippal, Sir?"

He snapped out of his state of shock at being addressed in such a polite way. He noticed his neck was starting to fall asleep.

"Huh?"

"Did you get all that?"

"Yes, yes." He gulped. "Did he say…Lady _Yuna_ was taken hostage?"

"Yes. He had just gotten the news as writing the letter to you. No one knows who is doing this, but they're like shadows if they can take Lady Yuna. After all, she was still in Bevelle due to meetings and press conferences. Which means, in other words, she was still heavily guarded."

She hesitated. "Did you know about the Al Bhed?"

He felt his stomach lurch in uncomfortable-ness. No, no he hadn't. But if he said that, he would seem like an incompetent leader.

In fact, he _did_ notice that a few hadn't been showing up lately…

"Yea, I did. But my COMmunicator wasn't working." He lied. She just nodded.

"So…so you're supposed to take us to Bevelle?"

She nodded again, but then stopped. "Us?"

"Well, if you haven't noticed, I've got a great big gorilla on my back."

Athilda giggled. "I won't ask any questions, Sir."

The two started to walk down Mushroom Rock Road, discussing the disappearance's.

"Yes, even my sister was taken, and I don't understand why." Athilda said, a bit choked up. "After all, she wasn't important in any way…"

Gippal was silent, his brow furrowed. He had a pretty good idea who was leading this kidnapped. But why? How? And…augh, there was just too much going on in his life right now.

"Why does Baralai need _me_? I'm not a great leader or anything."

_I'm also still a kid_. He thought dully. She just shrugged. "I've no idea what goes on in Praetor Baralai's head."

The two soon reached the end of the bumpy Mushroom Rock Road, and found themselves already nearing Mi'hen Highroad.

"Oh no!" Athilda said, clapping her hands to her mouth in shock. Gippal stopped walking and looked down at her.

"What?"

"Praetor Baralai _told_ me not to forget this!" She growled in her throat, muttering angered words to herself. Gippal coughed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just realized the way he wanted me to go through was the Moonflow."

Gippal immediately grew suspicious again. "Why?" He snapped.

"Because he said it would be the quickest way from Djose. But you weren't _at_ Djose, I had to come searching for you for a day, and—OH, he's going to have my head!" Athilda seemed very nervous, muttering and wringing her hands. Gippal managed to free a hand from Rikku's leg and pat her on the shoulder.

"It's all right. We can just catch a ship in Luca, right?"

Her heavy breathing started to return back to normal. "Yes…yes, a boat. Oh, but they don't reach Bevelle! The only one close to Bevelle goes back to the Moonflow…"

Gippal let out a sigh. He would _never_ understand the system's of the boats in Spira. He did _not_ want to risk going to the Moonflow.

"Oh! But if we go to the Moonflow, we can get to Bevelle by going throw Macalania Woods!"

"Isn't it dead?" Gippal asked bluntly.

"No, no, it's _dying_. There's a difference!" She sighed."So, do you want to take the boat, or swim?"

Gippal bit his lip. "I don't like going to the Moonflow." He was still suspicious of Athilda. After all, anyone could have written a note pretending to be Baralai.

"Mr. Gippal?"

He shook his head, and knew the answer before his mouth unwillingly said it. "I guess we'll take the boat. But we're getting through the Moonflow in less then five minutes."

He said it in such a forceful tone, Athilda nodded hurriedly. "O-Of course."

"And if we meet the director of the boat system, I'm threatening him to change it."

Athilda just chuckled. "Well, the boat goes to where the Shoopuf's usually swim from, so we should be all right."

He had no idea what she meant, but he stayed silent.

The two continued to walk, until Gippal let out a groan just outside of the Mi'hen Highroad. He felt his body slide down to the ground into a kneeling position. He slowly let go of Rikku and let her slide onto the grass.

"I need to rest." He said quietly, feeling his legs collapse and his body go into a kind of laying down position.

"But, Sir…"

Gippal just waved a hand at her. "I've been carrying a girl through Mushroom Rock Road, and haven't slept in two days. I've got a lot on my mind. Just a half hour, okay?"

Athilda seemed to be hesitating. "Fine. I'll keep watch." Gippal saw her sit down on the grass, and suddenly a question that had been bothering him popped out while he was in falling asleep.

"How come Baralai told _you_ to lead us? I mean…you're just a girl, in a New Yevon robe. I'm sure me and Rikku, can…take care of ourselves…" He let out a yawn.

"Why do _you_ have to come?"

Athilda just let out a small smile. "Praetor Baralai expects you to run into some things that…that only I can handle." She answered, avoiding the question.

Gippal just shrugged, now realizing just how tired he'd been. "Okay…okay…whatever…"

And soon he was snoring along with Rikku, the two teens lying peacefully underneath an oak tree, with a humble, yet curious woman watching over them.

**A/N**: Tada! Yes, yes, _another_ new character. But she serves purpose, I promise! Err…at least…I think she does. I really don't know. I just kinda stuck her in here. Hope you liked it, it's just another filler, really. Don't worry, more Gippal and Rikku fluffyness on the way!


	16. Mystery Magic

**A/N**: Ack! Midterms coming, so this will probably be my last post for a week or two. Maybe three. After all, I need to study, study, study! I know the plot is slow. I will try, _try_ to get it going soon. Oh, and do not fear—so Gippal Rikku fluffiness will hopefully worm its way into this chapter!

**End of Mi'hen Highroad, Where They Used to Lease Chocobo's **

--I'm not good at describing--

Rikku let out a strangled yawn, realizing her face was dug into something hard and rocky. Blurry flashbacks of waking up beside Gippal whirled through her mind, and she quickly sat up, spitting out grass.

Wait.

_Grass_?

Rikku rubbed at her eyes, forcing the blackness surrounding them to disappear. Being able to see clearly now, Rikku realized she wasn't in an inn or anything like she had hoped. She was sitting outside. Underneath a tree. Dirt and bits of dead grass were clinging to her skin. She felt dirt on her tongue and eyelids. Shaking her golden tresses, Rikku hoped they weren't destroyed either. No one knew how long it took to pick out leaves and unknot knots. Slowly she stood up, hands clinging to the bark of the large tree.

_Where am I?_ She thought. What had she been doing the day before? The words _piggyback ride_, _danger_, and _Gippal_ reminded her of her present situation.

"I'm glad to see you up, Lady Rikku."

Rikku heard a female, eerily calm voice utter those words from behind her. Usually being called Lady symbolized the person wasn't evil in any way, but her hands drifted to the blades resting on her hips as she turned around slowly to see who it was.

A girl. Probably around her age, maybe even a bit older. She watched Rikku with a curious gaze and a small smile playing at her lips. She looked like a cute innocent girl. Just the type Gippal was into.

_Crap_.

If Gippal decided to run off with this pretty bird…

"Who're you?" Rikku snapped, eyes narrowed. Her fingers stroked the round, yet deeply cut handles of her blades. Oooh, she just wanted to have a go at her…

"I'm Athilda, messenger of Praetor Baralai himself."

Ah. Baralai. She relaxed. After all, Baralai was her friend!

"What're you doin' here? Where's Gippal? Why didn't Baralai just let me go on my own, he knows me—"

"Rikku!" A voice cut in on Rikku's desperate attempt at getting as many answers as she could. She whirled around to see Gippal walking in from the Mi'hen Highroad. He gave her a small wave and a cocky smile, and Rikku felt her heart flutter.

_Since when had she felt like this_?

"Gippal!" She cried, running over to him with a huge smile plastered on her face. Gippal looked at her a bit nervously when she latched herself onto his arm, but she could see he let it slide. This time.

"So…have you met Athilda?" Gippal asked, pointing at the girl who was still sitting on that stump, annoyingly silent and elegant looking.

"Yes." Rikku mumbled, glaring at the girl. But she didn't seem to notice, for she had just stood up and was packing a number of items into a small bag.

"Gippal, why is she _here_? With _us_?" Rikku pouted, dragging Gippal into a corner near a grove of trees. She crossed her arms and forced her bottom lip to quiver somewhat. Rikku would never admit it, but she had been hoping this would be her and Gippal's little adventure on their own. You know, without other _girls_. Other _guys_ would be okay…but not _girls_.

"Well—you see…" Gippal scratched at the back of his head, a nervous habit. "She says she's a messenger for Baralai. She gave me a note that says people have gone missing all over Spira. And I guess since I'm part of the "three" as they like to call it, I have to go to this stupid meeting in a week or something like that."

Gippal muttered all this very quickly, and Rikku noticed his eyes darting like he was looking for an escape. Rikku leaned over and looked up at his face with a curious gaze.

"Who was taken, Gippal?"

Silence.

_Uh-oh…silence is never a good sign…._ She thought, feeling her stomach tighten. Could it be someone close to her? Brother? Cid? Tidus? Maybe even…no, no, that's ridiculous…

"Who was _taken_, Gippal?" Rikku asked again with a bit more force. She couldn't believe she was ordering around the man who constantly teased her and looked all higher than everyone all the time—but now he was just a scared, nervous little boy who didn't want to feel the wrath of Rikku.

He shrugged. "Just some…Al Bhed, people from Luca…" He paused, and then said the next word very quickly. "Bevelle, Kilika, you know, insignificant people."

"But not Besaid?" Rikku asked, prodding his arm. "Not _Besaid_?"

"Why do you care about Besaid?"

"Because that's where Yunie is!"

"No she's not!" Gippal cried, and then covered his mouth with wide eyes. "Er—yes. Yes she is. In Besaid…yes…"

And with that he walked away, muttering to himself.

_Great. Now I have to go to Bevelle with Gippal and some strange lady who's really creepy. We have to save who's gone missing; well actually, he does, but no duh! Of course I'm gonna help him. And then I hafta to escape this man who seems to be stalking Gippal and I and wants to cut my head off and probably eat my other body parts or something like that…huh. This will be one interesting trip. And Gippal was really nervous about that Besaid thing…_

"Rikku!"

The girl whirled around to see Gippal waving her over. "I just went out to check Mi'hen Highroad. An Al Bhed buddy of mine said that it's all clear."

Rikku flapped a hand at him as she caught up. "Please, it doesn't need to be _clear_. I wanna fight! I wanna beat the living snot out of anything that comes in our way…"

Gippal just chuckled and ruffled her hair, causing Rikku to let out an indignant "hey!"

"Come on you two, we have to get to the Moonflow." Athilda's voice rang out from a ways ahead of them. Rikku, who was just about to punch Gippal in the arm, stopping mid-movement at her words.

"Moonflow?" She whispered, looking up into Gippal's eye. "_Moonflow_?"

Gippal looked at her nervously out of the corner of his eye. "Er—yea."

"Gippal!" Rikku hissed. "I don't want to _die_! What makes you think I suddenly decided to give up my life? We rampaged across spirits just to go back to the place where we've been trying to get _away_ from?!"

Gippal just coughed nervously into his fist. "Look, I know that and all, but it's _Baralai_. And I wanna help him. And someone that was tak—"

He stopped there. Rikku glared at him, back bent, and hands on her hips. "I cannot believe you're trusting a total stranger, Gippal! I thought you wanted to _protect_ me."

His eye flashed with anger, and Rikku immediately felt sorry for saying that. "I-I'm sorry…"

He shrugged. "I know. Look, I dunno…it's just that this could be real. I don't want to leave Baralai there by himself. And, ya know…"

Rikku just sighed, throwing her gloved hands into the air. "Fine! FINE. Whatever."

Gippal suddenly smirked, and this annoyed Rikku. "What?" She snapped.

"Hurry up!" Athilda called from ahead. _That is getting SOOO annoying_. Rikku thought.

The two started to slowly walk down the Highroad, Rikku walking backwards in front of Gippal, swinging her arms. "What're you _smirking_ about?"

"You're just jealous 'cause it's a girl, right?"

Rikku let her mouth drop open and her eyes widen. _WHAT?_

"Er-no." She said quickly, though she knew she had given it away by her blushing face and hesitance. Gippal let out a loud guffaw, and Rikku ran at him, hoping to beat him to a pulp.

But in one swift movement he had grabbed her around the waist and lifted her onto his shoulder, so her legs were in front of him and her head was looking at his back. His hand was still gripping onto her waist, causing shivers to run up her spine.

"GIPPAL!" She shrieked, pounding her small fists on his back. "LEMME GO! GIPPAL!"

"No way!" He said, laughing. Rikku only spun around and reached for his spiked hair, digging her fingers into it to yank at—hard.

But something stopped her. Instead, her hands were kind of glued to his hair. She wanted to rip them away so badly, but the locks were so silky…the kind of silky Rikku had always wanted her hair to have.

Gippal suddenly stopped running. Instead, he just stood there, and Rikku realized this was a bit awkward for both of them. Finally ripping her hands away, she kept them tucked under her chin.

_I'm so STUPID. Stupid, stupid, stupid…_

And before she knew what was happening. Gippal lifted her small body back onto the ground in front of him. Rikku continued to keep her hands clamped together underneath her chin, and her eyes glued to her shoes. They were actually a pretty color. A nice…well, white…

"Rikku?"

She didn't answer, but instead whirled around and started to walk down the path, swinging her arms and moving her legs like a shoulder, humming very loudly the whole time.

Rikku didn't even hear Gippal calling her the second time. Instead she closed her eyes, (and her ears), and continued along like nothing had just happened.

_Baby beluga in the deep blue sea…swims so wild and he swims so freeeee…_

She could see Athilda ahead, keeping a steady pace with that stupid little flowery bag of hers. Rikku's eyes narrowed as her humming subsided. So much for her fake-happy mood. She still couldn't believe _she_ was the one who was suspicious. Usually it was Gippal who was always freakin' out…

As if on cue, a hand clamped around her arm and spun her around. Rikku didn't have time to shut her eyes, look down, or start to hum wildly. Instead, her vision was filled with a Gippal who had a curious, sort of triumphant look to him.

_Oooh, that burns me up!_ She thought. _Thinking he's got the upper hand with all his hotness, and cuteness…and muscles, and…smile, cute eye patch, awesome…silky…hair…_

_No! Ew! Stop! He dumped you, remember? Oh wait, to protect you…_

_Stay calm…stay calm…don't…be…caught…_

But Rikku could barely stand it. He was just standing there, a smile on his face and his hand still gripping her arm. Rikku felt shivers run up from the tips of her toes to the end of the hairs on her head, and still he just stood there, smiling.

And she could see something in his eye. This was a game to him! She just _knew_ it. He was testing her, for something. Probably to see if she'd break down and start kissing him all over…

_But of course I'd never do that. Of…course…_ Rikku's thoughts started to drift. She had been trying so hard to stay resolute, to stay away from him. She didn't want him to think he was putting her in danger again, or—or something like that…

And then he leaned in. _Oh Yevon, oh Yevon…_He was coming closer, a smile still playing at his lips…and then he stopped. Rikku could feel the tip of his nose barely brushing against hers. She was frozen…fighting…trying…

And then she gave up. She stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck. Immediately he slid his around her waist, bringing her closer to him. Rikku's hands traveled up to his hair, where she gripped onto it tightly as if for dear life. She didn't know how it had happened, but now she knew he had wanted it just as much…

His hands were traveling up and down her spine, tickling it as they did so. Rikku shivered, but the two stayed glued together, like they had been waiting for so long to do this. It was full of a hard passion, a resolute kind of thing. It was almost as if they were being driven by some unknown force to do this.

_I can't believe it. This is Gippal. I should stop, I should stop…_

"GIPPAL! LADY RIKKU!"

The shrill voice of Athilda snapped the two apart like a breaking twig. They looked wildly around, seeing Athilda running towards them with a panicked look on her face. "Look out! Look out!" She kept screaming. But as much as the two searched the Highroad, nothing was running at them, slobbering and spitting wildly.

_She is SO stup—_

"In the air!" Gippal suddenly cried, and Rikku hurriedly glanced up, letting her mouth drop open in surprise.

Coming closer to them was a large, spinning metal disc. On it were beeping lights, which were changing colors every few seconds. Out of the bottom were sharpened, metal knife-like claws. On the top was the same. And suddenly, the edges seemed to slide out, allowing ten more of the same claw-like things to pop out in smaller versions.

"Holy Mother of Spira." Gippal whispered, his eye wide and fearful. Rikku was sure she looked the same. How could they fight it? The claws would just pierce them, AND it could fly. Like, how cheap was this?

"I gotta fight it!" Said Rikku, reaching for her Machina Maw dressphere. (Which Shinra had made its own dressphere before he had left).

But Rikku had a sinking feeling it would do nothing. Metal against metal? No…and she knew it would have a magical shield on it. They were doomed. And what could Athilda possibly do?

And before she could think anymore, the disc was spinning out of control, all twelve claws snapping rapidly in the air like cutting knives. Rikku let out a shrill scream, and a heavy body came overtop hers and took her to the ground. So now, Gippal was lying on top of her, nearly squashing her lungs, as an evil metal U.F.O type thing came hurtling at them. Great. He had just stopped her from getting away.

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING?" She screamed in his face. He frowned and screamed back,

"ATHILDA SAID SHE'D TAKE CARE OF IT!"

"WHAT? YEA RIGH—"

Suddenly Rikku saw a blue circle of flames surround them. She glanced over to see Athilda standing there, her hands glowing blue and clasped together like in prayer. Her head was bowed and her eyes were closed. The blue flames starting roaring, and in a matter of seconds molded together and starting to climb higher and higher into the air, making a dome like shape around the two of them.

The disc just clunked uselessly against the shield type thing, but at the same time, little shocks were being sent up into it, for Rikku could spot blue lightning zap into it.

Something was coming out of the top of the dome. Rikku looked up to see a ball about the size of the disc rising slowly from the top of the shield, spinning and crackling with the same blue lightning. It hovered for a moment, but in a split second it went hurtling towards the machine, taking over it and holding it in place. Everything was silent for a second or so…

And then it exploded.

Rikku gasped and cringed, but Gippal let out a whoop and stood up shakily. "Look Rikku! It's not touching us! The shield stopped it!"

Rikku opened an eye to see flames hurtling towards them, smoke not reaching them and flames not burning them. It was odd to see an explosion coming right at you, and yet not even touching you. Gippal was laughing as if he had just got the best present for his birthday, and Rikku was reminded suddenly of their childhood days.

"What about Athilda?" Rikku finally asked, realizing her voice was high and squeaky from something called 'fright'. "She wasn't in the shield!"

A sinking feeling came into her stomach. Okay, so she didn't like the girl, but she had saved them…she wouldn't sacrifice her life for them, would she?

And then, the smoke cleared. A few spots of grass were burning down to the soil, but Rikku didn't care. The blue shield had evaporated, and now she was looking frantically up and down the path. Athilda had been engulfed in flame. The whole shield had been surrounded, and she had just been standing beside it calmly. Rikku was positive…

"You two are _terribly_ slow! Really!"

Rikku's jaw dropped. There, a few feet ahead of them stood Athilda with that dumb flowery bag in her hands. She wore a smile and her face was only a bit dusty, but other than that, her white robes were perfectly clean.

"Oh my god." She whispered, looking over at Gippal who seemed to be trying to hide the expression Rikku had just had the liberty of showing.

"Gippal! Do you see that?!" Rikku hissed. "She's evil or something. Black magic saved her, or _something_…I just know it!"

"Rikku!" He cried, looking down at her with an appalled sort of expression. "She just saved our lives!"

"But—but she was _covered_ with fire Gippal, I _KNOW_ it!"

All he did was shrug. "It could be good magic…" He said hesitantly. Rikku snorted.

"Look at her! She's acting like nothing happened! That's suspicious! And you saw what she did…" Rikku stopped talking and twiddled her thumbs a bit before she continued. "It was creepy." She finally whispered, glad she had said it.

_Pat on the back._

Gippal just shrugged and scratched at the back of his head. "All right Cid's Girl." Then he winked, a cocky smile plastered on his face. "But I still think you're just _jealous_." And with that he started walking towards Athilda.

_Probably to thank her._ Rikku scowled, not really knowing why she was freaking out over this.

_Well, we just kissed! I don't want her coming into the picture…_

And Rikku ran up so she was beside Gippal. She slipped her fingerless, gloved hand into his own. He looked down at the clasped hands, and Rikku saw a sort of startled look on his face. She squeezed his hand and he gave a small smile.

And he squeezed back, holding her hand tight with his own.

**A/N**: YES. IT IS LIKE AN UNSPOKEN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THEM THAT THEY ARE –TOGETHER- AGAIN.

I just didn't want you to miss that. Hope you liked it! But what's with Athilda? A little creepy, no? But perhaps it is good all the same. And it's a slow moving plot, but shaddup. I try, and I fail, _OKAY_?

-oooowweeeeeoooooo-


	17. Mints On Your Pillow

**A/N**: YAY! MIDTERMS ARE OVER! Hurrah! Hurrah! Sorry for the slowness, but the tests were keeping me _DOWN_ man…okay, anyway—my creative juiced are flowing, and even though I've no idea what I'm gonna do in this chapter—we'll figure it out, hmm?

Luca City, Late Evening 

Rikku found herself grumbling as the trio entered the city of Luca. Why did _Athilda_ have to be there? Rikku could have _so_ killed that robot thing. And then every other fiend that had come across their path ran away as soon as Athilda showed up! That lady ruined all the fun…

"Rikku." Gippal tugged at her arm, and his voice was in an awed sort of whisper. "Look at the city."

Rikku glanced up from her clenched hands to let out a small gasp. The three had a perfect view of the city because they were up high on the balcony. The sunset gave off an orange, rusty sort of glow to the stone buildings of Luca, giving it a sort of serene look. Lights flickered from within houses, along with neon ones from stores and bars and streetlights that lit the path for wanderers. She could hear dogs barking and children giggling as they probably ran back to their home for sleep. The ocean waves were reflecting the sun and lapping gently onto the shore of the city, causing the boats at the docks to rocks gently back and forth, emitting a sort of soothing creak. Rikku couldn't help it. She grinned.

"It's beautiful." She managed to whisper. Gippal only nodded.

"I wonder why I've never seen stuff like this before."

"Probably because by Djose it's all rubble and storm clouds." Rikku teased, ripping her gaze away from the picture perfect city to look up at Gippal, who was now smirking down at her.

"Oh really?"

"Really."

"I guess I can't tell you about the _secret_ spot." He teased her.

Rikku's ears perked. "Secret spot?" Of course, she knew he was teasing her, but he _might_ be telling the truth…

Before Rikku could question him any further, Athilda somehow materialized in front of the two. Like always. It was still _really_ bothering Rikku how she wasn't even dirty, whereas Gippal and her were in desperate need of showers.

"Come on. We're almost at a the hotel." Athilda said, giving the two a nervous sort of grin.

"THE hotel?" Rikku asked, raising her eyebrows. "Got our whole little journey planned out, huh?"

"Rikku…" Gippal said in a warning sort of tone. But Athilda just shook her head at him.

"It's alright Sir Gippal. Lady Rikku, I just want you to be comfortable. Is that so terrible?"

Rikku pursed her lips. She wanted to shout "YES GOD DANGIT! I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF YOU OLD NANNY!", but she did no such thing. Instead she just numbly shook her head.

Athilda nodded at her in a reproving sort of way, as if she had just taught the teenager a valuable lesson. She then turned around and began to descend the stairs of the balcony.

Gippal and Rikku followed slowly behind her. "Gippal, I'm _really _weirded out by how she won't tell us how and why she saved us like—like that."

Gippal closed his eye for a moment, almost as if he were thinking hard. "When you were asleep on my back and weighing several thousand pounds—"

"HEY!" Rikku cried indignantly, punching him in the arm. Gippal just smirked at her and continued.

"While you were asleep, Athilda came and told me she had a note from Baralai. She read it to me seeing as I couldn't hold the paper, and then after a few moments of conversation and agreements, I asked her why she had to come when Baralai knew perfectly well we could take care of ourselves. After all, I was just suspicious. Then she told me she had to protect us from…certain things, and she hesitated when she said it. So I'm guessing that weird little machina thing back there was a 'thing' she was supposed to protect us from."

The two were already now down in the center circle. After all, Gippal's speech had taken up quite a long walk. Even though Rikku knew Athilda had saved them, she still had her suspicions roused.

"Just—just stay on guard Gippal, no matter what the heck her story was. I still don't like how she just _happened_ to find us, and just so _happens_ to be taking us by the Moonflow. It's all kinda fishy."

………

"Well, here's the hotel." Athilda said as the three came upon a large stone building with an archway entrance.

"Wow. It's nice." Rikku said as her eyes suddenly wandered down to the flock of pigeons on the ground. "OOH HOW CUTE!" She cooed, jumping down on the stone pavement to be eye level with the pigeons. "Hey there fellas!" She cried, making odd clicking noises for them to come closer. And oddly enough they did, clicking and cooing as they wobbled along, wagging their heads back and forth. Rikku grinned as one pecked feebly at her finger in a—er—loving sort of way. Gippal just looked down at her, and Rikku knew he was a bit creeped out.

"How're you making them come?" He finally asked, crouching down and resting his elbows on his knees. Rikku shrugged.

"It's actually a Chocobo call I learned in the Calm Lands way back on my first journey against Sin. I didn't know it would work with other birds."

There was a moment of calm silence as Rikku stroked a pigeon she had become rather attached to in the few short seconds she knew it.

"Sir Gippal! Lady Rikku! Come, I've got the keys to our rooms!"

Rikku sighed. "I knew it was gonna be another hoity-toity hotel." She moaned as she stood up, shaking her limbs and waddling over to the hotel. Gippal just laughed and tousled her hair.

"Come on Cid's Girl, you know you love the room service."

Rikku sniffed. "That's about all I like."

Gippal cocked an eyebrow. "Oh really? What about the hot tubs? Or the nice fruity shampoo they leave in the marble showers? Or the nice, goose down quilts and feathery light pillows they have, and the little mints they leave on them every morning?"

Rikku only stared at him open-mouthed. "How do you—why do you—since when do you come to _THESE_ kinds of hotels!"

Gippal just made a 'tsk tsk' sort of noise and waggled a finger in her face. "I just guessed Cid's Girl. Frankly, you're really quite predictable."

Rikku glowered at him. "WHY YOU—"

"SIR GIPPAL! LADY RIKKU!" The shriek of Athilda snapped the two out of their little discussion. Quickly they ascended the staircase and found themselves in a chandelier lit, marble, sparkling hotel with the winding staircase on both sides.

"Wow…" Rikku breathed. As much as she said she hated the uptightness of the hotels like this, she could never get over the way they looked.

"Praetor Baralai booked it specially for us." Athilda said grinning. She handed them two different keys. "We're all on the second floor. Come on." She led the way up the fancy oak staircase and onto another level of marble, shiny whiteness. Rikku was still in awe as Athilda stopped abruptly in the middle of the hall. "Okay, rooms 229 and 231 are yours Sir Gippal and Lady Rikku. Choose whichever."

"I HAVE 231!" Rikku called, grabbing the silver key from Gippal and replacing it with a dull bronze one. She stuck her tongue out at him as she headed to her doorway.

"Goodnight you two." Athilda said, letting out something like a chuckle. Before Rikku even knew it, Athilda had disappeared behind one of the hotel doors.

Then there was a silence as Rikku tried uselessly to fit the key into the lock. "This stupid, new fashioned thing…"

Gippal chuckled as he walked up beside her and handed her the bronze key. "You took the wrong key." He whispered in a sort of husky voice. Rikku only blushed as she swiped it out of his grasp and gave him the silver one.

"Thanks." She mumbled as she stuck the key in, turned it, and heard a click from somewhere deep within the lock mechanism.

"Goodnight Gippal." She whispered, looking up at him before she left to her room. She couldn't wait to hop into a nice warm shower and then under the warm quilt on her bed.

"G'night." And before Rikku knew what was happening, Gippal had his arms around her waist and his lips pressed against hers. Rikku responded instantly, realizing _this_ was what had caused all the awkward silence only moments ago. Both had wanted to have a kiss so badly.

"OY! YOU KIDS! SOME OF US HAVE GOTTA SLEEP SO QUIT YOUR MOANIN' AND SKIDADDLE OFF TO BED!" An old woman had opened up the door beside Rikku's room. Rikku blushed as Gippal stepped away from her.

"Sorry Ma'am, just giving my lovely new wife a goodnight kiss." He gave her such an innocent, unknown smile that Rikku was partially shocked. When had he smiled like _that_?

"Aw. How sweet." The woman cracked a smile. "Have a good life together you youngin's." And then the door closed.

And it took Rikku only nanoseconds to whirl around face Gippal. "New _wife_! WIFE!" She hissed, poking him in the chest. "Don't use me as one of your stupid little puppets Gippal!"

"Whoa, whoa!" He cried, raising up his hands. "Dearest Cid's Girl, it was so the old lady wouldn't report us or anything. After all, you were making quite a racket—"

"OOOH!" Rikku narrowed her eyes at him. That guy could be so ANNOYING! But why'd he have to be so _hot_ at the same time!

"GOODNIGHT Gippal." She whirled around and stepped into her room. Just before she slammed the door shut in his face, he whispered,

"Goodnight dearest new girlfriend. Hope you get your mint."

Rikku smiled as she grabbed the handle. Okay, so maybe slamming it into his face wasn't such a good idea. He was too sweet! At least, for now anyways.

"Goodnight dearest new boyfriend. Don't worry, I will." She whispered through the crack in the door. He gave her a small wave, and she gave him one back. And then she shut the door.

………

"Do you think using the puppet is such a good idea?"

"Liam, of course it is!" Sunny cried, grinding his heel into the ground to put out his latest cigarette. "Why wouldn't it be a good idea? Having seconds thoughts? Huh? Well too bad, there's no such thing as second thoughts in a situation like this."

"Calm down Boss!" Liam cried, looking at him grumpily. "Boy, you sure have been angry ever since we got off that boat—"

"Don't talk about the boat." Bilak cut in. Liam fell silent immediately at the look on Sunny's face. The boss of the trio was now seriously high-strung, constantly smoking and snapping. After all, his work for the even _higher_ boss of the group wasn't working. He'd never become second head of the bandits if he kept screwing around like this.

"Hand me another cigarette Bilak."

Bilak's trembling hand passed it to their boss. Sunny swiped it and lit it with his lighter, sticking it in his mouth and puffing. "I can't believe we're stuck in this _rank_ cave with a sobbing prisoner." Sunny muttered, tapping his foot impatiently. Another one of his latest nervous habits.

"Well, Boss, it was your idea…" Liam whispered meekly.

"Shut up." Sunny growled. Liam obediently did so. These days, you just didn't mess around with Sunny. You just didn't.

A sob was heard in the background, followed by a frustrated scream. "YOU'VE GOT TO LET ME _GO_! PLEASE!" These words were followed by another sob.

"She's getting stupid again." Sunny muttered. "She should know by now to shut up or suffer the consequences."

"Sunny, beating her is going too far." Liam suddenly said bluntly. "Making her life miserable won't make her stay any longer. She'll probably _die_ if we keep doing it!"

"So what?" Sunny cried, puffing more on his cigarette. The room was now filled with a smoky haze, and Bilak started to cough.

"If she _dies_, then the puppet won't work for us anymore! You know how important the prisoner is to her-"

"Hey, _she_ doesn't have to know! We'll just keep telling her that her dear sibling is alive and well, feeding off of grapes we pluck from a vine and give to her daintily. All right?"

Sunny's sarcastic and angry tone caused Liam to fall silent, though he continued to send angry glares in his direction.

"Okay Bilak it's your turn."

"I don't want to anymore." Bilak said, his voice trembling a bit. "This is just stupid. How do you think this'll possibly help—"

"Because if we keep the bloody prisoner, the puppet will continue to do her work! You KNOW she's only helping us because we have her stinkin' sister who's a worthless piece of _junk_ anyway!" Sunny cried, spitting his only half used cigarette onto the dirt floor.

"But why beat her?"

"We're feeding her, aren't we? She'll live. There's just nothing else to do around here." Sunny let out a dark chuckle. "Besides, if we keep her on the brink of craziness, it might cause the puppet to do the biggest and most important move we need her to do."

"What's that?" Liam suddenly piped up.

Sunny grinned at them viciously. "To bring the tool to _us_."

An agonizing scream from the background followed these sinister words as Sunny grinned crazily. "It's all too perfect, my friends. All too perfect."

……….

Rikku slowly opened the front of her hotel room door. The key was grasped in her hand, while the other hand was rubbing at her still half closed eyes. Why did life have to torture her like this? The _maid_ had come and knocked on the door, telling her breakfast was waiting. Rikku _hated_ being woken up. She'd rather sit around lazily and gradually tell herself to wake up. It was much more comfortable…

The door beside her that was Gippal's immediately caught her attention. She knew how to jimmy these locks. Easy peasy. And Gippal was sleeping in late. She could tell he hadn't come out yet, because the paper that had just been passed around by the maid was still sitting comfortably under the crack of his door. A sneaky, cruel plan was forming in her mind, causing Rikku to grin. This was too good of a chance to pass up.

She grabbed a bobby pin hidden deep within her hair and began to pick at the lock, whistling a quiet tune as that evil smile of hers continued to cover her face. She let out a little 'yes' as the lock snapped open.

Presto.

Was she good or _what_? Rikku smiled as she turned the doorknob slowly. A sneak attack on the latest love-of-her-life would be a perfect way to begin the day.

She opened the door just wide enough for her very slim body to slip through. She fell down to the ground so she was on all fours. The carpet was already scratching at her knees, but she could see a lump lying on the bed. She suppressed a strong giggle as her body wiggled along slowly on the floor. She was anticipating this. Just pouncing on him, and maybe they'd have a lovely little wrestle and maybe breakfast in bed. That'd be good. Breakfast in bed. Yum.

All too soon Rikku was at the foot of Gippal's bed. Counting silently to herself, Rikku waited. As she landed on three she let out a wild whoop and landed among the mess of quilts and sheets and pillows.

"GOTCHA, GOTCHA, GOTCHA!" She cried, laughing hysterically. But then stopped rather abruptly.

There was nothing there. _Nothing_. Just folded quilts and pillows in odd and crumpled positions. There wasn't even a mint on his pillow.

"G-Gippal?" She asked the air quietly. Maybe he had gone to the bathroom. For a shower. Or something. She found herself running to the bathroom.

_He's not there_. Rikku thought dumbly, feeling her eyes well up with tears. Great. Gippal was gone somewhere in Luca, only one of the _biggest_ cities in all of Spira!

"What a _JERK_!" She cried, knowing perfectly well that perhaps he hadn't left of his own accord. "I can't _believe_ him…"

"Something wrong Lady Rikku?"

Rikku whirled around to see Athilda standing in the doorway. Rikku opened and closed her mouth silently for a few moments before she made any sound at all.

"Gippal! He's gone!"

For once, Athilda looked truly surprised. "Gone? Are you sure?"

"Search the room Ms. Detective, he's not here." Rikku replied more grumpily then she knew she should have. "We've gotta find him! He could be _anywhere_…" Rikku knew she was on the verge of tears. Athilda actually looked sort of—well—emotional.

_He's mine, witch_. She growled inside her mind.

"Oh…well…okay. Let's go look for him."

_I'll find you Gippal_. Rikku thought as the two scurried down the winding staircase.

_No matter how much of an insufferable, lazy, arrogant jerk you are…you're MY jerk, and I guess that means I have to be responsible of a little kid like you…_

_As annoying and tiring as it is._

**A/N**: Ooh. Sunny, Bilak and Liam are baaaaaack. I'm making Sunny so _evil_ in this chapter! He's just very stressed out. Poor Liam and Bilak are like little lost puppies. –hugs Liam- And yes, their little "prisoner" is important. Go back to when Gippal and Athilda first met and are talking about the kidnappings. Perhaps it will reveal some information…

Read and Review please!

**PS**: I HAVE NOW REACHED OVER 100 REVIEWS! PARTAY! Thanks sooo much for all your kind comments! Love ya all!


	18. Secrets Told, Secrets Kept

**A/N**: Er. Nothing much to say. Plot slow. Me feeling like junk due to things at school. Um, writing another chapter much sooner than usual. Trying to hurry plot along. Sorry.

**Luca Harbor**

"This is the only place we haven't searched yet." Athilda mumbled through pursed lips, brow furrowed and finger resting on her chin in thought.

_No **duh**, Captain Obvious!_ Rikku thought, but she kept her mouth shut. In fact, she had done a very good job of biting her tongue throughout this whole search.

Now she was rather glad Athilda didn't talk much at any other time. She was really annoying when she did start talking, trying to break the awkward silence between them. Sometimes she'd blurt things out about her old dog Jimmy, or something funny that had happened back in Bevelle, _which_ wasn't even that funny.

At all.

"Hey. Athilda." Rikku ran up to the woman, who was now looking behind every nook and cranny. How come Rikku wasn't searching as hard?

_Because I know Gippal can take care of himself. For now, anyway. There's a more pressing matter._

"What is it, Lady Rikku?"

"How did ya save Gippal and me? Are you a witch or something?"

As soon as she said it Rikku knew she shouldn't have. Athilda went sort of rigid, and all that could be heard was horns from the ships, the squawks of seagulls in the distance, and the waves lapping against the docks.

"Did I…say something?" Rikku asked in a tone, which indicated she was higher than Athilda. She didn't want it to come out that way, but it…kinda slipped.

Athilda snapped out of her trance like state and gave a tinkly laugh. "What? Oh no. Witch is just such a…such a harsh term. I forbid it from my vocabulary."

"…Okay." Rikku said in a confused sort of way.

Athilda gave another nervous, tinkly sort of laugh. "I guess I should explain myself, hmm?" She straightened out the front of her robes nervously. "Um-well…I'll start at the beginning. I didn't go to Bevelle because I pray to Yevon every living moment of my life, or drink up their religion like a man lost in the desert. No, my mother sent me there in disgust. She-she hated the things I could do. I was magical. And not just in one area, either. I could do all sorts of things, and my house would always be in shambles because I couldn't control it. My mother finally lost it and shipped me off. The only person who has ever cared for me was—was my elder sister, Karren. She came with me when my mom had gotten rid of me. At the temple I was taught about my magic. It's an odd one, see. It can only be used when the adrenaline starts to rush in my veins—when I'm afraid. The situation must be dire for me to use my magic. So they made sure not to calm me too much, for if they had in situations needing my magic I would be unable to use it. Thus, my nervous habits and appearance. And that's how I saved you—using my magic because I was afraid you and Sir Gippal were going to die and—and my task would be incomplete." She added hastily.

All Rikku could do was stare at her. "…Wow." She said. "That's some story."

_I feel a bit bad…_ She thought. _I acted like such a little kid._

"Well…er…keep searching?" Athilda asked, flattening out her robe once more and looking around.

"No need!" Rikku cried suddenly. Her eyes had been scanning the harbor. "I see him over there!" She flapped a hand over to where a large poster rested on a stone column. "That stupid guy!" She cried, laughing from relief. "I thought…" She shrugged it off and ran full blast at Gippal.

"GIPPAL! GIPP!" She cried, waving a hand frantically. Naturally he turned around at her voice—after all, she was shrieking her lungs out. He gave her a small wave and a cocky grin.

"Hey Cid's Girl!"

Rikku stopped shouting. And smiling. But she didn't stop running. As soon as she got beside Gippal she slammed her fist into his arm. Naturally, it would hurt twice as much considering she had been running at him at full blast.

"OW! Geezuz Rikku, what was _that_ for?" Gippal scowled at her and rubbed at his arm.

She gave him a grin and placed her finger beside her nose and gave him a wink. "It's to teach you my name, silly. Cid's Girl is someone _completely _different. I'M Rikku."

Gippal circled Rikku, gazing at her intently. Rikku suddenly felt like she was being inspected. "Um…Gippal?" She asked quietly. He didn't answer, but instead squinted his eye.

"Same blond hair…same green eyes and—clothing choices…same happiness, giddiness, whatever you wanna call it. Oh yes. And same ugliness. Nope, you got it wrong kiddo. You're Cid's Girl all the way."

He cracked a huge grin as Rikku started to yell at him in Al Bhed.

"Fryd'na oui dymgehk ypuid Kebbym! ikr! IKMO? Dryd'c cu ekhunyhdcu camvecrcucu OUI!"  
**(What're you talking about Gippal! ugh! UGLY? That's so ignorant…so selfish….so—so—YOU!)**

Gippal gave her a nervous, frightened sort of smile. "Hey Princess! Calm down, I was only joking…"

Athilda saved Gippal from being yelled and screamed at some more. Rikku was rather touchy about her name.

"Sir Gippal!" A relieved smile was plastered on her face. "It's wonderful to see you!"

He gave her a small smile, but immediately it turned into a frown. "Well, there's something I need to ask you about before I say it's 'wonderful to see you' too…"

Rikku watched him with curiosity. What did Gippal need to talk to her about? Immediately Rikku felt a pang somewhere in her chest as Gippal took Athilda by the elbow over to a more private spot. Thank goodness he didn't block Rikku out all together.

But she wanted to get closer. "I need to hear what they're talking about!" Rikku hissed quietly. Frankly, she hated being left out. And Gippal had looked so serious…so unlike himself. So Rikku desperately wanted to know what had caused him the sudden change.

She shrunk into the shadows of the piled high boxes as much as she possibly could. Then, thanking her past career as a thief, Rikku snuck deftly through the darkness until she could hear Gippal's whispered voice like he was standing right beside her.

With a shocked, yet quiet intake of breath, Rikku realized it was true. The only thing separating Gippal, Athilda and her was a pile of boxes.

"You lied to me." Were his first words: they were harsh. Rikku couldn't help but cringe.

"I-I-I did?" Her voice sounded very nervous, and Rikku remembered how she couldn't be taught how to calm herself…poor girl.

"Yes! You said no boat went to Bevelle. You said we had to go through the _Moonflow_." He pointed a hand back at where he had been standing.

"See that poster? It's a table. A table of times and destinations of the boats. Right there, on the top, written _very_ clearly, it reads 'To Bevelle, every two hours'. You said it didn't go to Bevelle, remember!"

He was greeted by silence. Rikku was watching with a disappointed sort of fascination from between two boxes. Athilda had lied to them. Gippal had outsmarted her. But if she wanted them through the Moonflow, that would mean…

"Are you working for him!" Gippal finally voiced Rikku's thoughts.

Athilda gasped. "I do not know who you mean by _him_, Sir Gippal, but _please_ don't take that tone with me! The boatmen must have just made a silly mistake. Come, I'll ask one for you." Athilda sniffed and whirled around, marching in the opposite direction.

Rikku watched, afraid to move out of her hiding spot. Instead, with labored breathing she watched the two silently walk up to a large man who was holding a paddle in his hand.

"Excuse me Sir. Are you a boat driver?"

The fat man looked down at them with squinty eyes. Rikku stuck her tongue out in disgust. He was so fat and his clothes were grossly tight and stained. He scratched his belly as he nodded slowly. Something like flies buzzed around the rare wisps of auburn hair sticking out of his bald head. Rikku could see Gippal looked just as appalled, but he was better at hiding his horror than her.

"Well—um…" Athilda stopped there, and Gippal butted in.

"Does a boat leave here to Bevelle every two hours like the poster says? She keeps saying it doesn't and we'll need to take the one to Moonflow, but when I looked at the poster…" His harsh voice fell into silence as the fat, balding and smelly man glowered down at him. Then his gaze shifted over to Athilda whom was standing timidly behind Gippal.

Now, Rikku didn't know if it was a trick of the light, or if it had actually happened, but she swore Athilda shook her head—just the tiniest bit. The sun caught on her hair from a different angle, and a few stray hairs had fallen at the movement. But Rikku couldn't be sure.

And yet it was a gut feeling.

The man stared at her for a longer time, and then turned back to Gippal. "Nup. You got it wrong, boy. There ain't no boat that goes to the big city. Musta been a mistake. I betta fix it. Now go away until the boat to the Moonflow is ready to get outta here."

Rikku shivered again. Something about his decision…maybe Athilda had been hiding something as she told her past to Rikku.

But she couldn't be sure yet again.

Gippal seemed disappointed with this answer. With a shrug he turned around and faced the boxes. Rikku shrunk into the shadows, hands and back flat against the stone wall. She waited without breathing until she heard a,

"All right Cid's Girl, you can come out now. We're not playing hide and seek."

Rikku sighed as she kicked a loose stone. "How did you know I was here?" She asked as she jumped over the pile of boxes. He shrugged.

"You're really obvious."

Rikku was about to punch him before Athilda interrupted. "The boat to the Moonflow leaves now. Shall we board?"

Gippal was silent, and Rikku knew why. He still hated boats. After all, it wasn't just his fear from the beginning. After being nearly burnt to death on their last boat expedition she was feeling a bit queasy herself.

"Don't worry Gippal." Rikku whispered. She had suddenly come beside him and looked up into his eye. "I'll be more careful this time. I promise not to walk into a room loaded with bombs."

She grasped for Gippal's hand and he squeezed hers, letting out a small chuckle. "All right Cid's Girl. That's a promise I expect you to keep."

Rikku nodded, deciding to leave the Cid's Girl nickname alone for a while.

Athilda was up to her old ways. "Come on you two!" She called from the deck of a boat right beside them. Rikku opened her mouth in shock. That boat hadn't been there moments ago, she just knew it…

"Are you sure this is the one to Moonflow?" Gippal asked from the dock, still holding Rikku's hand. She felt her face flush, but stayed silent. Athilda nodded hurriedly.

"Hurry up now!"

Grudgingly the two walked up the plank and onto the wooden boat.

Rikku let out a small gasp. "Gippal! It's the same fat stinky man from the docks!" She pointed to a waddling thing of lard turning the corner. Gippal cocked an eyebrow suspiciously.

"I knew something was funny about that guy…"

Suddenly the boat lurched out of its spot on the docks. Gippal clutched Rikku's hand tighter automatically, and Rikku saw his eye wide with fear.

"Calm down Gippal…we'll go down to the cabins, okay?"

He shook his head slowly. "No."

"Why not?" Rikku asked curiously.

"Too dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

"They could easily corner us in the cabins. I'll be okay on deck…I just need a place…a place to sit…" He looked like he was about to be sick and squeezed his eye tightly shut.

"You okay?" Rikku asked in an alarmed voice. She wasn't used to Gippal showing weakness. He wasn't supposed to have a weakness. None at all.

_Well he's only human_. Chided a voice.

"Yea…yea I'm fine." He said, opening his eye and shaking his head a little. "No need to have a fit over my well being Princess." He gave her a smirk and turned around to walk towards the benches near the front. Rikku watched him silently for a few seconds until his knees buckled underneath him.

Rikku ran up beside him and caught his arm just in time. He grasped onto one of her arms and her should weakly. "Well—er—maybe I need a little help." He said meekly. Rikku giggled. Just like a little lost puppy. And she loved puppies.

"Come on you big lug. This way."

Gippal and Rikku slowly made their way towards the benches. After toddling along at a child's pace, the two collapsed onto the wooden benches. Gippal let out a relieved sigh and his vice-like grip lessened on Rikku, for which she was eternally grateful.

"Thank Yevon that's over." He mumbled, rubbing at his eye and yawning.

"How early did you get up this morning?" Rikku asked, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes contentedly. Something about the rhythmic sound of the ocean waves hitting the boat, or the salty air smell or the cries of the seagulls was relaxing and lulling. Already Rikku found herself yawning and clutching to Gippal's arm like it was a blanket.

"I dunno. Six? Five? Who knows?" She felt something in her hair and went rigid at first. Then she realized it was Gippal's hand stroking her hair. She sighed happily. Just like old times. Except they were out in the middle of the ocean instead of the middle of Bikanel Desert.

"How come you left?" She managed out, still awake because of the sunlight making its way through her closed eyelids.

"It just sounded…fishy how no boat went to Bevelle, ya know? I guess the board made a mistake…" He was silent after this, and Rikku knew he was far from being convinced.

"I don't think so." Rikku said for him. "I think something's weird about that boat driver. He-he didn't say no until he looked at Athilda…" Rikku yawned again. "It looked like…looked like she had shaken her head."

She rubbed at an eye sleepily, looking like a young five year old. Gippal smiled down at her and continued to stroke her hair gently. "I'll remember that Rikku."

………

Gippal may have acted relaxed, but he was far from it. Something weird was going on. Him and Rikku were being chased by a mad man, people were being kidnapped, Athilda had some strange talent, and they were now on a boat being driven by a drunkard who would probably send them all to their death. Not to mention he was on a boat.

"The things I do for you, Rikku." He mumbled. He wasn't just going to Bevelle to meet Baralai. He knew staying in the temple there would be good protection from any harm. At least for a little while. So he was sort of thankful he could kill two birds with one stone…

But there was just something about Athilda…something that made him very suspicious…

He sighed and rested his own head on top of Rikku's golden one. He closed his eye and shivered as sea spray tickled the back of his neck. It was a little scary here.

But for some reason, not as much as the last boat. Probably because this boat held more people then just him and Rikku and some weird Al Bhed. It held innocent parents and children, elders and teens. He knew nothing _too_ bad would happen whilst they were surrounded by innocent people.

_What was it about those three Al Bhed that was so creepy anyway?_ Gippal wondered. _Other than the fact they tried to kill us…I wonder why…_

He knew perfectly well why, but he was just too tired to think. Soon his mind drifted off into the dreamland everybody knew and loved. The one with cotton candy trees and gingerbread houses. With a contented smile Gippal drifted off to sleep, his hand still clutching Rikku's.

………

_They make such a good couple._ Athilda thought. She sat opposite the couple on another row of benches. Shrieking children ran past her, and an old couple beside her were twittering away about how Rikku and Gippal reminded them of themselves when they were young.

Athilda gave a small smile. She was so close. So close to achieving her goal. But it was a blackened goal—it was evil and twisted. But the prize meant so much to her.

She would do what she needed to do. After all, she didn't even _know_ Sir Gippal and Lady Rikku! Whereas her sister…well, that's a different story. She loved her sister with all of her heart.

She deserved to get her back.

…

Right?

But was this the right way? She just…just didn't know. Her mind was filled with thoughts and words. She knew it was useless to pray to Yevon. Yevon hadn't helped her when her sister had been kidnapped. Yevon didn't help her when she was given the strange magic that caused her parents to hate her. Yevon didn't help her when she was told to do such an evil thing to save her sister.

It was just too confusing. She decided to take one step at a time.

First things first: to go to the boat driver and tell him he did the right thing. After all, she hadn't been expecting a poster there with the times. She was stupid for not thinking about it, but luckily she knew the boat driver. Luckily, he was in the same boat as her.

No pun intended.

With a swish of her robes she stood up, brushing the stray hairs away from her face and giving a loud sigh.

_Things will all work out in the end…_ She thought, looking over at the sleeping Gippal and Rikku. She couldn't help but smile again. They looked so peaceful and happy together. But then she frowned, realizing she could ruin that happiness.

_They **must**_.

**A/N**: …No comment. And by the way, once again, you are _not_ supposed to understand EVERYTHING Athilda is saying. You probably already do because I suck at plots, but hey. Review please!


	19. Only to Save Her

**A/N**: Sound of Music songs are good. I'm listening to some right now. Mua. Um. Well, it's been a while. I'm on this new roleplaying site, and I was busy with school. This story is slowly, but surely coming to an end. I'll miss it. Very much. More Gippal and Rikku fluffiness on the way! I hope. Maybe there was too much last chapter.

Winky, winky.

**S.S Liki**

(Yes, I am so uncreative I took an existing boat's name. Shut up.)

"Rikku. Rikku, wake up."

Rikku awoke to an annoying voice in her ear, and being shaken quite roughly.

"Noo." She mumbled, shielding her face with her arms. Where was she? She was lying on something wooden and hard.

"Rikku. _Rikku_." The voice was now thoroughly annoyed, but Rikku could care less. She felt so comfortable and lethargic…

Something sharp and hard kicked at her leg (which had been hanging lazily over whatever she was laying on).

"OUCHIE!" She screamed, jumping up and hugging her stinging leg close to her chin. She clenched her teeth and shut her eyes tight, hoping the pain would go away. She bit on her thumb-hard. She hoped it would take away the pain in her leg.

"Stupid sayhea…" She muttered to herself, squinting her eyes open to see just who this meanie was.

"GIPPAL!" She cried, standing up. Then she staggered. She had been lying on the bench, she realized. _Still_.

"Whoa, Cid's Girl!" Gippal said, chuckling as he caught her arm. "Still a bit too tired for walking, hmm?" He gave her a winning smile, and Rikku forced herself not to swoon.

"What in the name of all that is holy did you _kick_ me for! It's rude and stupid to kick girls." Rikku stated, sticking her tongue out at him.

"But I thought since I was your boyfriend I got a 'Get Out of Rikku's Wrath Free Card'?" Gippal asked with an innocent shrug. Rikku just glared daggers at him until he looked away.

"I win! I win!" She cried, dancing around him and swatting his shoulders playfully. Gippal just smirked and placed a hand on his hip. "Oh _really_?" He asked dryly. Rikku stopped dancing.

"Really." She replied stubbornly. Rikku didn't like that glint in his eye…

In one swift movement he had Rikku in his arms and over the edge of the slowly moving boat. Rikku realized then it was nighttime. The moon was shining down on the boat and casting moonlit shadows over their figures, making the dark ocean seem softly peaceful.

But Rikku didn't have time to notice their surroundings, or realize it was only she and Gippal left on the deck. She screamed. "GIPPAL GET ME _DOWN_ FROM HERE THIS SECOND!"

Gippal only chuckled at her expression, which she was sure was stricken with fright. Well no duh. She did _not_ want to be dropped into the water! She knew Gippal wouldn't do that, but still…

"I don't think I will." He said, grinning at her. Rikku tried to grab for his hair to rip at, but he dodged her arms. "I'm in control here, Cid's Girl."

"Do _NOT_ call me Cid's Girl!" Rikku fumed. "I don't know HOW I can possibly stand you—"

Suddenly she dropped. No, not into the water, but a few inches lower. She screamed at the suddenness.

"What'd you do _that_ for!" She asked, glaring at him. He grinned once more. It was really annoying now.

"Because you were mean to me."

"Mean! What! I was only standing up for my name, you sayhea—"

She dropped a few inches lower, and she screamed again. "Gippal! This isn't fair! You're gonna kill me, I just know it, and then you'll feel guilty and I'll haunt you forever and forever! Just please, please get me back on deck!" She didn't dare close her eyes. Gippal would just find her fear all the more amusing. She tried to stay strong and only occasionally closed her eyes for a brief second.

"Weeeellll…" Gippal muttered as if it were the hardest decision of his life, "you _are_ getting too heavy for my arms, Cid's Girl."

"Are you _weak_?" Rikku asked, grinning despite the situation. She tried to ignore the waves splashing against the side of the boat, the spray tickling her skin as if the waves were about to come a bit higher each time…slowly, but surely…and swallow her up…

"No." Gippal's voice snapped her out of her thoughts as he heaved her back on deck, "you're just fat."

He gave her a smirk and then ran across the deck as fast he could, leaving Rikku dumbstruck for a few seconds.

"I'M GONNA GET YOU GIPPAL! I WILL, I WILL, I WILL!" She ran after him, skidding on the deck as she toppled down the stairs to the cabins. She landed face first into the back of Gippal's feet. "Ouchie…" She moaned, continuing to lay on the ground and not bothering to stand up. Gippal turned around.

"Hey there Rikku." He grabbed for her hand and pulled her up by the arm. She couldn't help but smile at him. He chose the best moments to be a gentleman.

"Are we gonna sleep?" Rikku asked, realizing she wasn't tired at all. "That's what you woke me up for, right? 'Cause it's nighttime now…"

"No. I woke you up because we're almost at the Moonflow."

"But everyone's still asleep…"

"It's five o'clock in the morning."

Rikku's jaw dropped. "Did you sleep as long as me?"

Gippal nodded. "We must have been really tired out. Well, at least we're energized now." He grabbed her arm and dragged her back up to the deck. It was a nice humid night out tonight, so Rikku wasn't cold in the least. She could tell Gippal was restless though. It was sort of obvious because of him running to the cabins for no particular reason, and then running back for another reason she didn't know.

"What's wrong?" She asked, flopping down on the wooden deck so she could look up at the sky. The sun was just starting to rise now—she could see the orange pink hint of color in the sky.

"Nothing." Gippal replied shortly. She could feel the vibration of his heavy combat boots clomping across the deck. She closed her eyes lazily and enjoyed the warm weather.

"Rikku, I have an important question for you."

Rikku opened one eye to see Gippal sitting cross-legged on the deck beside her. Rikku slowly did the same until she faced him. "What is it?"

It looked like Gippal had a speech all written up inside of his head. Rikku's heart fell. She hated speeches—or lectures. They just took too long and wasted time she could be using for partying or laughing or something much more useful then speeches or lectures.

"Do you…do you really understand the situation we're in?"

Rikku only eyed him suspiciously. She realized that sentence had been an effort for him. But why?

"Of course I do." She said without smiling for once. "What, you don't think I'm _responsible_ enough?"

He shook his head slowly. "No…"

Rikku wasn't convinced. "Yes you do." She said pointedly, crossing her arms across her chest in a defiant sort of way. Gippal glanced up at her, and Rikku recognized that hint of annoyance sparking in his eye.

"Okay. I do. Fair enough?"

Rikku's jaw dropped. He wasn't actually supposed to _agree_. That's against the code of boyfriends or—or something. But he continued on in a rush, as if this had been bothering him for quite some time.

"You don't seem to realize just what we're getting into. You don't seem to be worried that a crazy man who's supposed to be dead is coming after you, and you don't even know why. You don't seem at all worried that we're headed for the Moonflow, the very place we want to be from the least. You don't seem like you understand at any second we could _die_. Anyone could be a spy for Saleed. He said…" He paused, and even though Rikku was fuming at what he had said, she knew he was getting a little frightened of something.

"He said that he had given the bandits sight. Sight they could never have without him. I think that means he's watching us. Somehow. Someone's watching us for him…"

Before Rikku let him continue, which would have led to an important discovery, she interrupted.

"How can you say I don't seem to realize anything? I've been in danger _before_ Gippal! _I_ fought Sin. _I_ beat Vegnagun. _My_ cousin almost died, and I was constantly trying to save her. _I'm_ the one who had to see my best friend die. _I_ risked my life so many times for the people I care about. And you have the nerve to say I don't know how to handle this!" Rikku stood up suddenly, feeling ashamed and like a little kid again.

"You _always_ do this, Gippal! Just because you're one measly year older, you always act like I don't 'understand'! Like I'm some little kid who can't take care of herself! You act like I'm—I'm—" Rikku paused, trying to find the right word.

"You think I'm _dumb_!"

Gippal was standing up now too, an anger that matched Rikku's in his eye. "I'm trying to help you Rikku!" He cried, both hands firmly at his sides, "I'm trying to make you see the danger you're in! I'm just saying you're not taking it seriously enough!" He started to pace back and forth, running his hand through his hair. "For God's Sake Rikku, a man wants to _KILL_ you! I don't know how you can't be serious about this!"

"HEY! You were goofing off with me back there too!"

"Yea, but _I'M_ the one who's been stuck with all the bloody worryin' this whole damn trip!" Gippal shouted back, eye wide and furious. "You've been dancing around, laughing and giggling, and I'm the one who's been watching everyone and everything suspiciously. You couldn't even take care of yourself for _one_ millisecond! It's just—so stressful on me." He had now stopped pacing and was looking at Rikku expectantly.

"I thought you wanted to protect me." Rikku replied stubbornly, as well as a bit sadly.

"I _do_, that's what I'm _trying_ to do! Look, I made a mistake before, and I'm just trying to help you now! Just always be on your toes! Don't think I'm going to be able to take care of everything! I'm _not_ going to be able to. I'm not always going to be _here_ to be able to." He walked over and rested his hands on her shoulders.

"Expect the unexpected Rikku. That's all I'm saying. This is a life or death situation. I _don't_ want you to die."

The two looked at each for a long time, until Rikku pulled away and started to walk away from Gippal.

"Rikku?" She heard him call. She didn't answer.

How come Gippal always had to be right? Rikku's argument was feeble compared to his. He had been right. She _was_ acting like a little kid. Was it finally time for her to grow up? Rikku always liked being the happy, active, hyper one everyone saw as cute. But she hated being seen as a child. Was that a confused, messed up sort of view on herself? Of course. This was a serious situation and she hadn't even thought it over _once_. She was leaving all the thinking, all the planning and worrying to Gippal. He cared about her so much he was trying to protect her. Just in a different way. He wanted Rikku to be ready. Always ready. He had said he wouldn't always be there…

But he would, wouldn't he?

Rikku needed time to think. Gippal had said too much for her to take in all in one moment. He had been right, of course, but…but Rikku hated being wrong. She hated having to go over every little detail, trying to figure it out…

But she was going to do just that. Rikku was going to give Gippal a break and change her attitude: she was going to be responsible. She was going to figure this out. What he wanted, how they were being watched, and how to talk to Gippal and let him know she understood.

She had never been good with words. Or mysteries. She stood at the opposite end of the boat as Gippal, and she was glad that he wouldn't come nosing in on her. He wasn't like that. He was just as stubborn as she. Rikku just hoped he hadn't taken it personally and that Rikku hated him. She was just annoyed that he always had to be right: and that she always had to be wrong. She grabbed a crate and sat down on it promptly, focusing her gaze on the sea.

Time to click her brain into gear. No more messing around. This was the real thing, and she was going to help as much as she could.

………

Gippal rested his hands on the side of the boat, watching the waves as they slowly mesmerized him. Then it hit him: he wasn't scared of boats anymore. He grinned shakily, until the conversation he had just had with Rikku clouded over this and ruined everything.

He had to say he was proud of himself. Gippal had told Rikku exactly what he had been thinking this whole trip—that she had stuck him with all the worrying while she just acted like nothing was wrong. That was the thing. _Acting_. Of course something was bloody wrong, it was pretty obvious.

But then she had walked away. He couldn't tell if it was from anger, hurt, or some other emotion he wasn't aware of. He just hoped she didn't hate him. But he was still glad he had told her what he thought. It was quite a load off of his shoulders.

He decided to leave Rikku alone and go talk to the boat driver and ask him what time they'd be there. He had already that morning when he had woken up, and even though the man freaked him out, he desperately wanted to know when they'd be there. Why? So he could try to get away.

That's right. Get away. Run away, more or less. He couldn't take it. He didn't want to have to protect Rikku for the rest of her life. He didn't always want to be on the lookout for danger, or for death. He had wanted to tell Rikku this: he had wanted to tell her he would never be able to protect her. Everyone thought Gippal, the Machine Faction Leader, was a brave soul who had gone to save his best friend Baralai. True, but that was about as far as his bravery went. He was a chicken at heart, and Rikku would soon know it. He told her as much as he could: he wouldn't always be around. Rikku would have to take care of herself.

_If I run away, things will be worse though._ He had constantly fought with himself that whole morning.

_Saleed will have no trouble getting to her. Rikku's strong, but against him and a million other bandits…well, even if I were there it wouldn't make any difference. I might as well leave. Which was what I was planning to do. But should I? Rikku will hate me: I love her too much for her to hate me. Maybe I shouldn't. I don't know. I just don't want to face my past._

_I don't want to go through what I had to before. If I fail to help Rikku, I might just kill myself. But running away won't help. I don't know. I'll probably stay. But Rikku could take care of herself. We need to split up. I'm sure Saleed is tracking Rikku through me. I'm sure of it. I don't know how, but I am. We just need to split up. If we do, Rikku will be safe. I'm going to tell her this. I will, I promise. She needs to know that if she wants to be safe, we have to be apart. I mean, there's no chance of us destroying Saleed, is there? I don't know. But we need to be apart. _

_For Rikku's safety. For the girl I love so much._

………

"Thinking is _boring_." Rikku muttered to herself, winding a strand of flyaway hair around her index finger. She stifled a yawn as her eyes caught glimpse of something dark projecting out of the water miles off.

_Moonflow_. She thought, and she knew she was right. She needed to think harder.

"Okay, let's see…Gippal said that Saleed was tracking us…somehow. I can't really think of anything, but—no! I will! I have to! Okay, okay, let's start over. Saleed want to kill me, for some unknown inexplicable reason. Maybe I should try to figure that out first. But I don't have anything he'd want! No. Back onto topic. Okay, so Gippal said he had given the people who helped him special sight or, or something. I doubt that means eyes on the back of their heads or something.

"Augh, I just don't know!" Rikku buried her face in her hands, breathing in the scent of her lilac skin cream. She couldn't believe her hands still smelled like that. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, mind whirring and clicking. Rikku knew she hadn't thought this much or this hard for a _long_ time. Someone was watching them. Who had seemed suspicious? That creepy boat driver, but she had only seen him once. Definitely not the spirits, they worked for themselves…Wynter?

Rikku's eyes snapped open. Wynter…she completely forgot about her. Rikku suddenly felt guilt growing steadily larger in the pit of her stomach. She said she would help Wynter against her dad. She had had a friend for a few days, and Rikku knew Wynter probably thought Rikku would be around for longer. Rikku now felt absolutely terrible for abandoning Djose, and she really had no idea why.

Wynter…maybe when they got to the Moonflow Rikku could sneak back to Djose and talk to Wynter? That would work. But…but Wynter hadn't been with her at the very beginning, nor with her and Gippal later on. It was pretty obvious Sunny, Liam, and Bilak were most likely working for him…

This thought caused tears to well up in Rikku's eyes. Her best friends had gone bad. But she had known this the moment Sunny had tried to-tried to kiss her. The thought still spooked Rikku, and she slapped her hands together to try and think of something else.

And then it clicked. It was so _obvious_, so _bizarre_…but it fit. It _all_ fit. Rikku suddenly let out a horrified gasp, followed by a squeal of excitement. She had found out who was following them. She had found out who was working for Saleed.

"WE WILL BE REACHING THE MOONFLOW IN TEN MINUTES. PLEASE GET YOUR ITEMS TOGETHER AND HEAD TO THE MAIN DECK."

A voice rang throughout the air, but Rikku was too excited to listen. People were now milling about the boat, talking and laughing. Little children were laughing and chasing each other, or pointing excitedly towards the Moonflow. Rikku's eyes searched the crowds, but Gippal was nowhere in sight.

"Where could he be?" She murmured, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand.

"Lookin' for me?" A hand clapped her shoulder and Rikku jumped a little but then turned around, feeling a huge grin take over her face. She jumped up and hugged Gippal, taking him completely by surprise.

"Oh Gippal you were _right_! I was being a little kid and irresponsible, so I decided to start working harder, and I figured something out! Oh Gippal it's so important, I've _GOT_ to tell you—"

"Not now Princess."

Rikku's heart fell. Gippal's expression was serious. Too serious for her. "Let's sit down." He said, taking her arm gently and setting her on a crate. She only watched him, confusion and paranoia taking over her mind.

"What is it?" She asked, afraid Gippal would start yelling at her again. "I'm gonna take it seriously now, Gippal! You don't need to worry anymore, _really_…"

Gippal just smiled sadly. "That's good."

Rikku stopped. "Huh?"

"Rikku, there's something I need to tell you."

"…Okaaay…"

"I-I-" He closed his eye briefly, opened it again, and then took Rikku's hands in his. They were both sitting on crates, and Rikku was starting to feel a little uncomfortable.

"Rikku…I can't stay with you."

Rikku's eyes grew wide and her stomach immediately turned to lead. "W-What?" She asked, biting the insides of her cheeks so she wouldn't cry. She pulled her hands away and stared at him. "You're breaking _up _with me? Again!" She asked incredulously.

Gippal shook his head ferverently. "No. I mean, I can't _stay_ with you. When we get to the Moonflow, we-we have to separate."

Rikku shook her head slowly. "No." She whispered, looking at the ground. "You _can't_ leave."

"Yes I can. And I will."

"WHY!" Rikku finally cried, jumping up. "Are you too scared? Too scared that if you stay and fail to save me or some chivalrous act like that you'll feel terrible for the rest of your life and the memory will haunt you forever and EVER!"

Gippal stared at her. "That's part of it."

Rikku fumed. "I can't _believe_ you. After _EVERYTHING, _you're just going to let me DIE!"

"You said you were responsible now!"

"That doesn't mean you can abandon me at the first sign of trouble!"

"There's been trouble this whole bloody trip, the moment you ask your 'friends' to take us on their boat!" Gippal roared back equally loud. "And you wouldn't understand! I'm leaving to SAVE you!"

"SAVE ME!" Rikku cried back, knowing the tears were going to spill at any second. "How can you be saving me if you're leaving me for dead!"

"Because Saleed is getting to _YOU_ because he's tracking through _ME_!" Gippal cried back. This caused Rikku to fall silent.

"What?" She whispered.

Gippal now looked slightly calmer. "We have to separate so you _won't_ die. As long as you're not with me, you won't get hurt."

"You don't know that." Rikku said stubbornly.

"Yes I do."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"_Look_." Gippal started. "I'll head onto Bevelle to go to that meeting with Baralai. You-you go somewhere. Anywhere."

"I thought Bevelle would be safe for me too!" Rikku shouted.

"I thought so too! Until I realized that he was getting to you through me. As long as you're with me, you're in danger."

"I've _ALWAYS_ been in danger, Gippal! Even when I was little! But you were always there to save me, no matter what! And now you're just going to leave! That's stupid! That's—that's _illogical_!"

Gippal groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "I need to go to Bevelle for this meeting. Athilda will come, and you can go back to Djose, back to Luca, back to Bikanel, back to _anywhere_ but where I am."

"I can't _DO_ that!" Rikku cried, and Gippal looked up at her from where his gaze on the floor. "I can't just leave you Gippal! Look, I don't care if you put me in danger or _not_, I'm staying with you. I can't stand to just break apart like we did before. I'm not letting this stupid Saleed ruin everything we have."

"You don't know how powerful he is, Rikku!"

"WELL HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW POWERFUL LOVE IS EITHER!" Rikku cried, eyes wide. And then she gasped, letting herself blush. She buried her face in her hands, knowing Gippal would probably start laughing at her.

But he didn't. She didn't hear a thing. She snuck a peek through her fingers to see he was now pacing the dock. Great. He hadn't even _answered_. He sure knew how to make her look stupid…

"Did you mean that?" Gippal asked, finally stopping in front of her. Rikku continued to hide her face in her hands and only nodded numbly.

_If he's leaving, I might as well let him know how I feel._ She thought sadly.

But she was taken by surprise as Gippal swiped her in a big hug. His face was buried into her shoulder, and Rikku immediately felt safe. "We can't be apart, Gippal." She murmured. "I need you to-to protect me."

_Okay, okay I don't, but I might as well give his ego a little boost_. She thought grimly, knowing it would come to bite her in the butt later.

"Rikku…" Gippal stepped away from her. "You mean the world to me. And because you do, I have to save you. I have to protect you, by-by leaving you."

This sentence was greeted by silence. The boat hit land with gentle _thump_, but neither Rikku nor Gippal moved. They continued to stare at each other, and Rikku counted down the seconds until she would start crying.

_Three…two…one…_

And then they came. She hurriedly wiped them away. "Fine." She spat, turning around. "Leave. Do whatever you want. Go save these missing people, I don't care. After all, what does our relationship matter, right? You've already wrecked it once, another time won't matter." She knew she was being mean, but right now she hated Gippal. She hated him for leaving her.

"Rikku, I don't want you to be mad at me. I want you to _understand_."

"Oh, I understand all right. Go have your fun. Next week when you come back here I'll probably be nothing but a skeleton and Saleed will rule over Spira. But—oh, that's right, that could matter _LESS_ to you!" Rikku turned around to look up at his face. "Sometimes you don't many _any_ sense at all, Gippal!"

"YOU just don't understand!" Gippal cried, and Rikku saw pleading in his eye.

"Oy kids, time to leave the boat." A man in a suit was shoving at Gippal's arm, and he swatted him away with a growl.

"Hang on a minute, you little bugger." Gippal muttered at the man. The man rushed off and Gippal turned back to look at Rikku.

"Goodbye Gippal." Rikku whispered, turning around. "I'll stay on the boat. I'll go back to Luca."

Gippal hesitated, but a voice cut into the tense air. "Sir Gippal! Come along! We have a meeting to attend!"

Rikku's mouth dropped open. "You told _her_ about your plan before ME! What, is Athilda your girlfriend now!"

Gippal just shook his head, frustrated. "Rikku…just don't hate me. I couldn't live if you hated me. You have to understand…this is to save you."

"Save me, my a—"

Athilda popped up beside Gippal, and Rikku glared daggers at her. "Come along, Sir Gippal."

Rikku and Gippal looked at each other for a long, hard moment. "Bye Rikku." He whispered.

She didn't answer. She only stared at him, eyes wide. He was actually leaving. He was actually dumb enough to believe that leaving would save her. What was wrong with his head? It wouldn't save her! Well, maybe it would, but why did he have to hurt her in the process?

He was breaking her heart all over again.

But before Rikku could say anything to Gippal, he was down the plank and walking swiftly across the mossy Moonflow towards Bevelle, Athilda trailing after him.

"Bye." She whispered sadly, feeling nothing but emptiness inside of her heart.

**A/N**: GASP. What a nasty turn of events. Stupid Gippal. He was a bit confused at first, but then he had to go and wreck it by actually leaving. Loser. Um, don't worry, something will happen. I hope. I think. Yes. Hopefully. Um, I hoped you liked it! Longest one I ever wrote I think. NINE PAGES in Times New Roman 10. And lots of thinking happening in it. And I still didn't tell you who Saleed's eyes are, though it's kind of obvious.

Or is it? Dun, dun, dun. Review please!


	20. Neglection and New Jobs

**A/N**: I thoroughly enjoyed my last chapter. I think I'll have some fun writing this one. Heehee.

**Moonflow Harbor, on the Deck of the S.S Liki**

Rikku stood there, watching the shadow of Gippal and Athilda disappear. She didn't cry out, like she wanted. She didn't scream at him, which she also wanted. She just stood there silently, which was the _last_ thing she wanted to do.

But she did it anyway.

"'Ey."

Rikku whirled around to see who was talking to her. She took a few steps back in startled revulsion. It was the boat driver, who was just as fat, smelly, and stinky as he ever was.

"Er-yes?" She asked, realizing her voice came out high and squeaky.

"Are you stayin' on me boat? Iffin not get orf."

Rikku raised her eyebrows in a surprised sort of annoyance. "I'll be staying, thank you." She stated coldly and very un-Rikku like.

He only glared at her, but Rikku stood her ground. She placed her hands on her hips, shook back her hair, and glared right back. The two stood like this for a while until the boat driver snorted and turned away. Rikku shuddered as his stomach fat wobbled out of his stained white shirt.

_That is SO disgusting._ She thought in mortification.

"Get orffa my boat." He finally grunted in a low voice. Rikku could barely hear him, but got the gist of his order.

"I don't think I will." She said, wondering why in all of Spira he wanted her off of his boat so badly. She spun around and was about to head down into the cabins where she could moan and whine and curse Gippal in silence, but something rubbery grabbed her arm. Her head snapped around and she realized the rubbery thing was the pudgy hand of the boat driver.

"I SAID GET ORF!" He roared, something like madness glinting in his eye.

Rikku felt her anger slowly starting to rise. "Let go of me." She said in a steely stone that would have normally caused anyone to back off so she could finish them off with her blades.

"No."

"NOW."

"NO."

"WHY NOT!" Rikku screamed, feeling her heart starting to pulse wildly with rage.

"'Cause I want you orffa my boat, that's why. Get orf and I won't bother yous."

Rikku stared at him-hard. She wanted to stay on just to annoy the living daylights out of this man, but his grip was starting to numb her arm, and the thought of sleeping in the same boat as this character gave her the heebie-jeebies.

"_Fine_." She hissed, and the man finally let go of her arm.

"Orf! Orf!" He cried. Rikku stuck her tongue out at him before jumping off the side of the boat and into knee-deep Moonflow water.

With a splash, Rikku felt like ice had just entered her veins. She shivered and realized her teeth were chattering. This water was _nothing_ like normal ocean water. It was cold and chilling to the bone marrow. She waded her way onto the land, rubbing her arms for warmth. She was a little freaked out as to why she had gotten so cold so fast.

"It's the pyreflies."

Rikku's gaze lifted from the endless, empty dark blue waters of the Moonflow and up to the land, which she was nearly at. She grinned nervously at the man standing there.

"Hello." She said slowly, taking in his appearance carefully. He was wearing traveling clothes, but she couldn't really tell what they looked like because everything from his shoulders down was covered in a moss green cloak, except for two brown boots poking out from the bottom. His cloak was clasped together with a little golden button, and his hair was a dark chocolate brown, which went well with his tawny skin. She couldn't see what color eyes he had, but she guessed they were hazel.

"What's that about the pyreflies?" She asked, feeling the land rise slowly beneath her.

"Pyreflies haunt these waters, that's why it's so cold. If you go any deeper than up to the waist, you usually die. That's why only Shoopufs and boats make their way across."

Rikku shivered. "How can you die?"

"It gets too cold for the body. Your heart rate slows down, and soon your body just stops working all together. The weird part is that when the people drown, they're still trying to move when their heart's stopped. It's almost like a delayed reaction."

Rikku felt herself getting _really_ creeped out. "That's really spooky." She voiced, tromping up onto the sandy shore. A nearby Shoopuf made some weird honking noise, and a Hypello was trying to calm it down. Suddenly Rikku felt terribly alone and alien. She didn't know anyone here, and it was a dull grey sort of afternoon. People milled about, but they were all different. All unknown and strange. Rikku had never felt so lonely.

"Er-this might sound weird, but who're you?" Rikku asked rather bluntly.

"Jermane, at your service." The man bowed low to Rikku, but she wasn't really interested in guys at the moment. She was still trying to get over one, but he just wouldn't leave her sorry brain.

"And may I have the pleasure of knowing your name, Miss?" He asked. Rikku opened her mouth and was about to tell him her real name. After all, he seemed like such a gentlemen.

_He wants to kill you Rikku._

_They're getting to you because they're tracking through me._

"Daphne." She blurted out, forcing herself not to flush at the stupid excuse that had escaped her lips. She could see Jermane's lips twitching, as if he were trying to stop himself of smiling.

"I see. What an odd name for an Al Bhed to have…"

Rikku _did_ flush this time. "Well, you know, my parents are pretty odd themselves…" Rikku gave a nervous laugh and rubbed at her chilly arms. She was still freezing, and just wanted to get away from Jermane. He seemed sort of eerie.

"Would you care to wear my cloak for warmth, Miss…Daphne?"

There it was again. A hidden little smirk…like he had his own little private joke. Rikku shook her head.

"No thanks Mister Jermane. I'm fine." Just then the boat that Rikku had been riding slowly began to back up from the port. Rikku turned to look at it and felt the sudden urge to run back into the Moonflow waters, hop the boat and go back to Luca. She didn't know where to go or what to do here…and _danger_ was here.

But then she remembered Jermane's story about death in deep waters. It seemed a little out there, but Rikku believed it after feeling the cold she had in those dark, murky waters.

"All right then."

The two stood in awkward silence. Jermane was watching Rikku with a silent, piqued interest, whereas Rikku was hurriedly trying to think of an escape plan.

_I could go to Bevelle too…but then Gippal will just think I'm desperate. I am NOT desperate! I could go to the Calm Lands or something, or back to Luca…but that's all so far away. And I'm a chicken alone…Djose! That's it! I'll go to Djose! I'll go and get my job back. Then Gippal will come back and poof, I'll be there! He can't POSSIBLY kick me out there! Well, unless he fires me, but that's not the point…_

Filled with a sudden new burst of hope, Rikku grinned shakily at Jermane. "It's been fun meeting you Jermane, but I really need to go now."

She turned on her heel and began walking swiftly past the Shoopuf and towards Moonflow Pass.

_We have to get away from there…especially Moonflow Pass._

Gippal's words echoed in her head, but she continued to walk quickly, hoping that maybe if she kept her head down no one wanting to murder her would recognize her.

_I thought I could—could protect you…even then, not now…I'm just USELESS!_

"No Gippal, you were wrong." Rikku muttered under her breath. "You weren't useless…you were _never_ useless…"

Something cracked from behind Rikku. She spun around to see something green vanish behind a tree. She shivered.

_Oh no…this is NOT good…_ Rikku had the distinct impression she was being followed. That green color looked familiar…

And then it hit her.

_Jermane_.

She knew something had been creepy about that guy…he was overly friendly. It almost seemed like he had been waiting her for her to get out of the boat…

Rikku quickened her pace at that thought. He was a bandit. Her gut was telling her so. Sure, she shouldn't always trust her gut, but today, at this very second, she decided to. She remembered Gippal saying Saleed lived with the bandits, or something along those lines. She glanced out of the corner of her eye to see if anyone was following her. She felt like crying out in shock when she saw a shadow glide between the trees beside her.

_Just keep moving, just keep moving…_

She risked a glance up at the sky. She could see the stormy clouds that surrounded Djose coming nearer. But she was also now on the Moonflow Pass. Sudden visions of bandits attacking her from all sides brought her to an abrupt stop. Even thought it hadn't really happened, Rikku was now pretty scared. Sure, she'd be able to handle quite a few of them, but if they ever called for reinforcements, she was a dead woman. Especially if they had that Saleed with them.

Rikku continued to walk; hearing the not-so-silent swish of what she knew was Jermane's cloak. Another crack to her left. Something like leaves being brushed away to her right.

_Stupid Gippal, stupid Gippal…_

Something like a whisper. Pebbles being scattered. A dagger being unsheathed…an arrow brushing across the tight string of its bow…

Rikku ran now. She didn't know if she was losing her mind, or if bandits _were_ really surrounding her. She just ran with all of her life, forcing her legs to move, cursing her foul hair for getting in her eyes, breathing heavily, eyes fixed on the path ahead…

Her legs started to tire out. She hadn't run this hard in a while. She felt her heart rate slow down. Rikku pushed herself, breathing heavily. She didn't dare to look back. For all she knew, a group of bandits would be chasing her with drawn weapons.

With such a terrifying thought, for Rikku believed it to be true, she ran the last mile or so to Djose with a new burst of speed she didn't know she had in her.

Rikku slammed into the large metallic doors of the temple. Never before in her life had she been so happy to see the stormy, cold temple. She could have kissed it-but she didn't have time. Still feeling like her lungs were about to burst, Rikku opened the door, which emitted a loud and aching creak. She ran in, turned around, locked the door and then let out a sigh of relief. She slid to the ground with her head in her arms.

Rikku was safe…

For the time being.

She was surprised to hear no one around her. She glanced up to see nothing but the few machina whirring around, mechanically cleaning up tools and the like. Their steps echoed around her ears, and Rikku had a sudden terrifying thought that the bandits had invaded, killed everyone, and were now waiting for her to walk into a trap.

She stood slowly back up, her heart pounding. Rikku had _never_ known herself to be so scared in her whole life then she had been these past few moments in the temple and outside it.

_Oh my Yevon, oh my Yevon…_

Rikku's eyes darted around the room. It was deathly quiet. All she could hear was the buzzing of the machina and her own labored breathing.

She twitched. Something had made a noise down the corridor. It didn't seem threatening though…more like a laugh.

More laughs. Three of them. Rikku didn't feel so weak and sickly anymore. She heard voices, chattering and talking, laughing heartily. She felt her heart swell to new sizes.

"I'm safe…I'm safe…" Rikku couldn't help grin shakily.

Now she truly knew what Gippal had meant by the danger she was in.

"Rikku?"

A familiar voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Rikku looked towards the corridor where the laughing had come from. There, in the entrance, stood a surprised looking…

"Wynter!" Rikku cried, breaking out into laughter. She had never known herself to be so glad to see someone in her whole entire life. She ran up to her friend and gave her an impulsive hug. "Wynter, I'm _so_ glad to see you!"

Wynter chuckled. "How come, Rikku?"

Rikku drew back. "I was just…you know…lonely." She couldn't bring herself to tell Wynter the real reason why she was so happy to see a familiar face.

"What's all the laughter back there?" Rikku suddenly asked, not so cleverly switching the subject.

"Oh, it's dinner time. The workers are just eating." Wynter raised her eyebrows. "Why?"

"Just-just wondering." Rikku gave a nervous laugh. "So…how're things?"

"Okay. With Gippal gone it seems a bit more light hearted. But then again, people are also slacking off _terribly_…" Wynter suddenly eyed Rikku with curiosity, and the young girl dreaded Wynter's question before it even came out.

"Where _is_ Gippal? Last time I saw him, he went looking for you…"

Rikku felt her heart warm slightly. Wynter _knew_ Gippal cared about her.

"Oh. Um. He has a meeting. To attend. That's why we went. He needed me to accompany him on some machine faction business to Luca, and then he headed off to Bevelle while I came back here to work."

"Hmm…" Wynter muttered, and Rikku knew her story was short, undetailed, and so terribly vague Wynter would have to be an idiot not to see right through it.

"Well, here you go then." Wynter held out her hand to shake. Rikku looked at it, bewildered.

"Um…thanks?" She asked hesitantly, shaking Wynter's hand. Wynter laughed.

"You were the boss' closest assistant!"

Rikku was silent, but didn't like what was coming.

"And…?"

"And that means you're the new temporary Machine Faction Leader until Gippal gets back! Welcome, new boss!"

Rikku stared at her, mouth agape.

"That doesn't make any sense." She said bluntly, mind whirling with thoughts and horrors.

"Yes it does! Gippal appointed you second in command, correct?"

"Well, I was his secretary." Rikku wanted to go any means to not be the Machine Faction Leader-even if that mean using Gippal's favorite word for her. Mind you, she hated being called a secretary with all of her being, but drastic times call for drastic measures.

"He states in this note you were his assistant."

"Note?" Rikku asked shrilly. "Where's that note? Let me see it!"

Rikku didn't even think it was odd, (and a bit freaky), that Wynter had the note deep within her jacket pocket. Rikku unfolded it and scoured Gippal's familiar scrawl, feeling her heart sink all the while.

_To my Machine Faction people,_

_While I'm away, if such a thing ever happens, the person put in charge shall be Suttin, a close friend of mine. If I ever return, I will of course take back my place as Machine Faction Leader. But if my second in command ever returns without me, she will take Suttin's place as temporary Machine Faction Leader._

_I'm sure that's a huge weight off Suttin's shoulders._

_Gippal_

_PS: If you didn't know, my second in command, a.k.a assistant, is Rikku._

Rikku stared at it. He knew. He _knew_ he was going to leave her sometime in that stupid journey of theirs. Rikku suddenly felt hate towards Gippal. She hated the one man she loved. She ripped the note into tiny shreds, threw it on the floor, and jumped up and down on it with her muddy, dirt boots.

"Stupid sayhea! He can't even be a gentlemen enough to come back here himself! He's putting _ME_ in charge when I'm already in danger? MORE to add on? Zang! Loser! Jerk!" She continued to curse and yell insults in Al Bhed at Gippal, who sadly, wasn't there to enjoy her anger and tears of frustration. Instead, Wynter got to watch her in horror.

"Rikku! Stop!" She finally cried, grabbing the girl's arm. "Look, Gippal should be back soon. When he is-" Rikku saw her blush, and this only infuriated her more, "when he is, he'll take his place back. Now, I don't know why you keep yelling you're in danger, but up in the office of the Machine Faction Leader, you'll be fine.

Rikku glowered at Wynter. When she had once felt so happy coming to Djose, she now regretted it with _almost_ all of her life. Normally she'd have been happy to be Machine Faction Leader…but not now. Not when there was too much on her mind. AND after he just ditched her.

Again.

"I can't do it Wynter." Rikku stated firmly, looking into the girl's eyes and drawing herself up to her full height. "I can't tell you why, but there's too much on my mind, and there's too much for me to deal with. Don't tell Suttin he can sit back and smell the flowers yet. I am _not_ taking his place."

"Rikku, you have to!" Wynter cried desperately. "Suttin is _terrible_ at his job! He's so confused and so lost…Gippal wants you to do it! Why won't you do what he asks?"

"Because whenever that happens I always end up on the receiving end of all the terrible, horrible, evil things in Spira!" Rikku yelled, throwing her hands up in the air. "He _won't_ come back! I have a feeling the meeting he went to was fishy. I have a feeling something's planned against Gippal. I have a feeling he's TRYING to protect me by sacrificing himself. I have a feeling that Gippal is just a lazy, rude, arrogant, selfish, handsome, caring, kind, sweet, and _nice_ JERK!" Rikku stamped her foot and whirled around, ready to leave the temple.

"Just for a while Rikku…please. Gippal wants you to."

For some reason, Wynter kept bringing up Gippal. And everytime she did, Rikku felt worse and worse.

_Just do it. It'll be fun_.

_FUN! I'm having a mid-life crisis at the age of seventeen!_

_Just do it._

_Is that ALL you have to say in your defense?_

_Yes._

_Fine._

Rikku turned back to Wynter, a glint in her eye. "Fine. I'll do it."

Wynter gave her a grateful smile.

Rikku couldn't help herself. She cracked a curious grin. "Does that mean I get the Leader Suite?"

Wynter chuckled. "Why not?"

And for a fleeting moment Rikku forgot everything. She forgot about Gippal ditching her, she forgot about being followed, she forgot about someone trying to kill her, she forgot about the creepy boat driver and Athilda and Wynter when she was in her annoying stage, and Sunny and Liam and Bilak, her betraying friends, and how Gippal said he wanted to protect her by leaving her...

For a moment, Rikku was a happy. But that's all it was.

A moment.

**A/N**: Whoa. Weird. Didn't know _that_ was going to happen. I didn't go in detail very much. So sorry. The book I'm currently reading is influencing me. They don't talk much. No Gippal yet! I think it's a good twist I decided to plop on there-Rikku being Machine Faction Leader. Muaha. Don't worry, it won't last very long. By next chapter…well, you'll see. Read and review please, this chapter took me _forever_.

My arms hurt now. Sniff.  
**-EDIT-**  
**PS:** What! There's a LINE tool? Augh. Um, actually, the reason for this is to tell you all my directions and memory of the game suck hard. Okay. I messed it up. So let me fix it. Everytime they talked about going into Macalania Woods from the Moonflow, let's say I wrote Guadosalam, as it should be. And in my last chapter, let's again say that Gippal walked away, but came back after to board the Shoopuf, because getting across is the only way to get to Bevelle by going through Guadosalam, then the Thunder Plains, then the Macalania Woods, and finally Bevelle. So I screwed up on my directions. Terribly, TERRIBLY sorry everyone. That's why you're probably all very confused. So sorry.


	21. Traitor

**A/N**: Another chapter! Don't worry, Rikku won't be "boss" for very long. Or will she? I just keep adding on random things that don't make any sense. SO sorry about that!

**Djose Temple, the Next Morning**

"Rikku? Rikku, time to get up!"

Rikku moaned, diving underneath the covers and flapping her hand at the voice. "Just a…a few more minutes, Gippal…"

"Gippal!" The voice cried. "I'm not Gippal!"

Rikku sat up immediately, her face whirling around. Where was she? How did she—oh. Wynter stood beside her bed, looking slightly nervous.

"Sorry for coming in so early, but you have a lot of duties to attend to."

"…Duties?" Rikku rubbed at her eyes, trying to wake up.

"Yes, leader duties. Remember, you're the temporary Leader of the Machine Faction!"

Rikku groaned and fell back down onto the bed in her little bedroom she had acquired her first time working at Djose. "Please say this is a nightmare," she mumbled into her pillow.

"Nope. It's the real thing! Up Rikku, up!" Wynter jostled her body, and Rikku could have howled.

"Fine, _fine_! I'm getting _UP_." The Al Bhed girl moved slowly, first swinging her legs over the side of the bend, scratching at her head, rubbing her eyes, stretching, and yawning. "What's first on the list?" She asked Wynter as she stood up shakily to grab a hairbrush.

Wynter handed her a list. "It was pinned on your door this morning." Rikku grabbed it, trying to focus her sight so the words weren't blurry. There, in someone's neat printing, the first thing read _Check the hovers on Djose Highroad_.

"You mean I have to go _outside_?" Rikku moaned, folding the list and sticking it in her pocket. "It's going to be so cold!"

"After some coffee you'll be peachy," Wynter said, pushing Rikku out the door. Rikku sighed.

_I wonder what Gippal is doing right now…_

………

"We're here!" Athilda cried, jumping up and down. "We're finally in Bevelle!"

Gippal smiled weakly. "Woohoo. Let's have a party, shall we?"

Athilda stopped jumped. "No need to be so sarcastic, Sir Gippal."

Gippal stayed silent, and began to walk slowly up the path to Bevelle Temple. The two had spent a grueling trip through Guadosalam, and the Thunder Plains, where Gippal had to stop and help a man with the lightning towers. Macalania had been semi peaceful, but Gippal still couldn't shake off the terrible feeling he'd had when he told Rikku he had to leave her. Rikku's hurt face continuously popped into his mind, and mentally cursed himself for becoming such a sap.

"Sir Gippal?"

"What?" He snapped, running a hand through his hair.

"Did you hear my question?"

"No," he said, not bothering with the snarky comment that was resting on the tip of his tongue.

"The meeting isn't until this evening. What are you going to do until then?"

"I dunno…talk to Baralai, one of my best friends who I haven't seen in a _long_ time?"

"Praetor Baralai said the ones attending the meeting couldn't meet each other until the meeting, because of influences and such."

"Seems suspicious."

"It's Bevelle Policy."

"Screw Bevelle 'Policy', I want to see my friend," Gippal snarled.

"Sir Gippal!" Athilda cried disapprovingly.

Gippal whirled around. "I don't need your bloody nagging, Athilda! I didn't _ask_ you to come on this trip with me and Rikku, I didn't _ask_ you to come to Bevelle with me, and I sure as hell didn't _ask_ you to split me and Rikku up in the Moonflow!" With those angered words Gippal began to stride further and faster away from Athilda, seething inside.

_She's the one who told me to send Rikku to Djose. Stupid girl, always knowing what I'm thinking and making it sound logical. I wish I didn't have to do that to Rikku, but I had to. If I hadn't she'd be a dead woman by now. If staying away from her is the only way to protect her, then so be it._

Athilda's quiet footsteps could be heard from behind Gippal. He didn't bother to apologize. She was acting weird, now that they were in Bevelle.

"So how come you agreed with me that Rikku should be sent to Djose?" Gippal suddenly asked. He stopped until he was beside the small steps of Athilda, and he noticed she paled slightly at his question.

"Oh – um – well, I just thought she shouldn't hear this meeting. It's highly confidential, and I know you would have told her if she was here with you."

"So you're calling me untrustworthy?" Gippal asked coldly.

"Oh, no! I'm just saying, you two are so close, and you would have probably let her in on what's happening because you trust her so much, and you two…" Athilda's voice trailed off. "Here we are!" She cried abruptly as the two finally reached the double doors into Bevelle Temple.

_Athilda's acting strangely…_ Gippal thought silently. Then words, familiar words in a familiar voice pierced through Gippal's mind.

"_Oh Gippal it's so important, I've **GOT** to tell you—"_

Gippal's heart seemed to stop beating. Could she have…no. But could she have figured it out? Could she? Had Rikku, irresponsible, little kid Rikku, figured out who the spy was?

Well, even if she hadn't, her words had triggered a suspicion in Gippal's mind.

"Athilda?" He suddenly asked, his heart beating wildly. She turned around slowly to face him. "Yes…?"

Gippal took the crumpled up, ripped up, and nearly mutilated letter of Baralai's he had taken from Athilda out of his pocket.

"Who _actually_ wrote this letter?"

………

"C-Cold…" Rikku muttered through chattering teeth. She had come running back into the temple after checking the hovers. She sipped at a cup of coffee and thanked Yevon for inventing such a wonderful creation. Wynter stood beside her, frowning slightly.

"What?" Rikku asked, cocking an eyebrow. Wynter pointed behind her shoulder.

"You've got some workers to answer to…"

Rikku suddenly remembered Gippal standing in this exact spot, trying to talk to three different men about three different things at _one_ time. But when he only had three, Rikku had seven. She turned around to see seven oily, muddy, and harassed looking Al Bhed make their way towards her.

"Lady Rikku, the dishwasher in the kitchen has broken down _again_, and the cook is talking about going on strike-"

"The airship you requested from Luca is having some difficulty over the ocean…"

"Lady Rikku, you're very beautiful, did you know that?"

"Boss, three more boxes of paperwork have arrived-"

"The Al Bhed in Bikanel are requesting your assistance there, Lady Rikku. It seems some excavating machines have broken down and we're the only ones who have the right parts…"

"Lady Rikku, can I have a strand of your hair!"

"The paperwork's waiting!"

"The ship is going to crash!"

"Please can I have a hair!"

"Nhadala is asking for assistance especially, she doesn't know Gippal has gone—"

"You're so _beautiful_ Lady Rikku-"

"We need you to fix the dishwasher-"

"STOP!" Rikku screamed, causing all the men's mouths to shut. "STOP, STOP, STOP!" She screamed once more. She glared evilly at them all. "FOR GODS SAKES, YOU'RE ALL ADULTS! YOU CAN HANDLE SOME THINGS YOURSELVES! I DON'T CARE IF YOU THINK I'M PRETTY! I DO NOT GIVE PEOPLE MY HAIR! GO TO THE SHIP YOURSELF! SEND SOME WORKERS TO BIKANEL! I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT BLOODY PAPERWORK! YOU'RE ALL BUFOONS, SO GROW

UP!" Rikku felt her throat dry up on her, and she coughed slightly.

"I'll be outside. Working on…something." She turned around and ran swiftly through the open doors, her mind aching and her throat parched. These workers were useless! Coming to her for every little thing. Her ears were ringing now, and she gritted her teeth in pain. She couldn't take it. Rikku _hated_ paperwork, she _hated_ coming outside in the cold, and she especially _hated_ workers who had the minds of irresponsible three-year-olds.

"Lady Rikku?"

Rikku whirled around from where she had been standing on the bridge. No one else was outside yet, and she was enjoying the temporary peace. She did _not_ want to go back inside. She _wouldn't_ go back inside.

"What?" She snapped at Wynter.

"I'm – I'm growing my hair out."

Rikku eyed her, and a smile tugged at her lips. Wynter's hair was at least two inches longer. "You are…" She grinned. "Good job!" She then turned around and continued to stare off into the sky. Rikku heard Wynter walk up to stand beside her.

"That's not why I came outside."

"Then why did you? I _don't_ want any more questions, thank you very much."

Wynter chuckled. "I could kind of tell back there. Actually, I think everyone within a thirty mile radius of Djose could tell."

Rikku blushed. "So why _did_ you come out here?"

Wynter shifted uncomfortably. "I have a feeling you want to leave Djose."

Rikku snorted. "Really? You should be a detective when you grow up."

Wynter frowned slightly, ignoring Rikku's comment. "Where's Gippal?"

"Gippal?" Rikku coughed. "Well…he's in Bevelle. For a meeting…"

"Meeting? What meeting?"

"He got a letter from Baralai asking him to come to an important meeting in Bevelle. It's just the three leaders, so I wasn't _allowed_ to go."

_Lies, lies_, sang her head.

"Baralai?" Wynter shook her head. "He couldn't have sent that letter."

"What?" Rikku asked tensely, snapping her head around to look at Wynter.

"Sir Nooj came by the other day, looking for Gippal. He wouldn't say his reasons, but he told Suttin, who I was standing beside, that Baralai was off on a vacation to Besaid, and Nooj needed to talk to Gippal instead."

Rikku felt her stomach shrivel up, but it was still able to twist itself into knots. "V-Vacation?"

Wynter nodded slowly. "Yes. How come?"

Rikku shook her head slowly, mortified. "No, no…this _can't_ be happening! This is all wrong…" If Baralai hadn't sent the letter, who could have? WHY would someone go to all that trouble? Suddenly, the name Saleed flashed across her mind.

_It was a trick. It was a trick. The spy did it. Athilda did it._

………

"Oh – Praetor Baralai, of course!"

Gippal narrowed his one eye at her. "Mhm. Okay. So how come he sent you with us? He _knows_ I'm perfectly capable of getting here myself."

"Remember the large robot that attacked you? Only _I_ could get rid of it."

Gippal didn't miss a beat. "So how come you knew about all that stuff if you're a 'good guy'? I know Baralai, and he doesn't give out information like that to messengers."

Gippal smirked smugly as Athilda coughed nervously. "I have the different magic, remember? I'm not just an ordinary messenger. Now, if you'll _please_ come into the temple…"

"What if I don't want to?"

Athilda paled. "W-What?"

"What if I suddenly decided to go back to Djose to see Rikku because a)I miss her, and b)I don't trust you?"

"Y-You don't trust me?"

"I never _did_ trust you, Athilda. Sorry, but it's slightly suspicious that you just happened to know where we were, and that you continued to tell me that the boat didn't go to Bevelle, when the timetable clearly stated 'BOAT TO BEVELLE-8:30.'"

"The boat man _SAID_ it was a mistake!" Athilda's voice was shrill now, and Gippal's head started to buzz. Everything was slowly starting to make sense. He had been suspicious at first, but now…now it just all fit together. The boat Athilda wanted just _happened_ to go the Moonflow, the place where Saleed was rumored to live, she continuously prodded Gippal into letting Rikku go so she couldn't hear about the meeting…and Lady Yuna gone? It would have been all over the news. There was only one thing to do to see if Athilda was telling the truth.

"I need to make a call," Gippal suddenly stated, taking out his COMmunicator and dialing a familiar number. Athilda watched him anxiously.

"Hello?" A familiar voice answered on the other end.

Gippal's suspicions were correct. His heartbeat started to race slightly as he looked up at Athilda and spoke into the COMmunicator.

"Hello Lady Yuna."

Athilda gasped.

"Gippal? Did something happen to Rikku?"

Gippal gave a forced laugh and clenched his teeth. "Not yet. But something will soon enough. But, hey, you haven't been captured lately, have you?" Gippal heard Yuna giggle.

"Nope. I've been in Besaid for a long time. Did you call to speak to Baralai?"

Now Gippal was the puzzled one. "Baralai?"

"Yes…he said he sent a messenger to give you a note saying he was on vacation in Besaid."

Gippal growled. "He did, did he?"

"Yes…here he is right now." There was some rustles and then Yuna's voice yelling, "BARALAI! BARALAI, GIPPAL WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!"

"…Hello?" Asked Baralai's voice, usually calm but now slightly alarmed.

"Hey Baralai."

"Did you get my note, Gippal? Is something wrong?"

"Don't worry your Besaid vacation head about it, Baralai. Just one question."

"Go ahead…"

"This messenger…was it a boy or a girl?"

"Boy. His name was Arnald. How come?"

Gippal was now glaring at Athilda whole-heartedly. She gave a little squeak and took a step backwards. Gippal grabbed at her wrist and caught her in his iron grip. Athilda whimpered, but Gippal didn't let go.

"I think _Arnald_ has either been kidnapped, been killed, or had a dramatic sex change."

"Gippal!" Baralai sounded shocked. "Why do you say that?"

"Because someone sent me the wrong messenger. A girl by the name of Athilda. Know anyone by that name?"

"…No."

"She says you guys took her in because she had _special_ magic or some crap like that."

"I've never heard of her in my life."

Gippal sighed, closing his eyes briefly. Great. Juuust great. "Thanks Baralai. Have a good vacation." And then Gippal cut the connection.

"So…Arnald." Gippal yanked at her arm to bring her closer. Athilda stayed silent, but her huge eyes showed all the fear inside of her. "Tell me. Where's Baralai's vacation letter?" He waved the fake letter in front of Athilda. "Why did you bring a bloody fake! For Yevon's sake, the least you could do was make a better alibi!" He said, completely forgetting he had believed it at one point. Gippal felt anger boiling up inside of him. He threw the piece of paper at Athilda's face, but it fluttered harmlessly just in front of her nose.

"You're coming with me," he snarled, whirling around and tromping away from Bevelle Temple.

"NO! You _monster_, bring me back this _instant_—"

"So you're cutting the 'Sir and Lady' crap now, eh?" He chuckled darkly. "Good, I was sick of that act. You're going to tell me what's _really_ happening. Who sent that letter? What happened to Arnald? Who're you working for? Why? Did you split me and Rikku up purposely for your boss?"

"I-I can't say _anything_!"

Gippal stopped, spun around, and glared evilly at Athilda. The two were nose to nose, and he could clearly see Athilda wanted to cower; but she didn't. Gippal's face was red, and he knew a vein was probably going to pop in his neck.

"That's wrong. You're going to tell me _everything_. If you don't I'll chuck you into the water without a second thought." His voice was deadly calm. It would have been better if he had yelled. But Athilda didn't move. Instead, she blinked back tears.

"I _can't_."

"You're working for Saleed, you traitor!" Gippal finally spat, hoping his assumption was correct. "The least you can do is tell me _why_ you're working with my lifelong enemy, and why the bloody _hell_ you're trying to kill Rikku!"

"Why would I want to kill Rikku?" Athilda finally sobbed. "I saved you two!"

"Yea, but only to save your sorry behind," he snarled quietly. "Now _shut up_, or I'll make sure you die in the Thunder Plains."

"Please, just please leave me here! I can't go back – they'll kill her, please…please don't bring me back there. Just save her…please…" Athilda was sobbing now, and she fell to the ground, causing Gippal to bend because his hand was still gripping onto her wrist. He had no idea what she was talking about, but he was getting fed up.

"You're a _spy_ for Saleed! I'm not showing you any mercy when you showed none to us. That stupid robot was probably sent by your boss to try and make us trust you, eh? Bevelle never accepted you for your weird magic, they probably threw you _out_. But your boss, the evil one, gladly accepted you, and sent you to get rid of his enemy…"

"NO!" Athilda shrieked. "NO, NO, NO!"

"SHUT UP!" Gippal finally roared. Some Bevelle guards looked curiously at the two, but it was part of their job not to interfere with others "conversations".

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT YOU THINK, TRAITOR!" Gippal's eye was round with fury. "Just _shut up_ and follow me. I'm not letting you get away without telling me the story."

"Please…just leave me here…"

"No way. Now get up and quit crying. If anyone has the right to be crying, it'd be me. But considering I'm more the temperamental type than emotional, I'll yell instead. GET UP!"

Athilda stood up shakily and followed Gippal quietly, only letting out the occasional sob and muttering, "You don't understand, you don't understand…" But Gippal just kept walking, his mind whirling with thoughts. Athilda wanted Rikku to go to Djose so she'd be on her own. Saleed didn't want Gippal around when he got to Rikku. Rikku – the weapon. Rikku the tool. And Gippal was naïve enough to think that splitting apart would be the smartest thing. They weren't tracking Rikku through Gippal…they were tracking her through Athilda. And now Athilda had done her job – she had gotten Rikku out in the open without an angry Gippal.

Well, there'd be an angry Gippal to face soon enough.

………

"I need to go." Rikku blurted to Wynter. Wynter eyed her suspiciously.

"How come?"

"There's no meeting…there's no meeting…they want to kill me, him, whoever…split us up, kill me, take me…" Rikku was muttering to herself now, running a hand through her hair nervously. "I need to _go_, I need to _GO_!"

Wynter took a step back. "All right, all right…but be careful."

Rikku had begun to walk away swiftly, but she stopped at those words. "Why do you care?"

"I'm not the one who truly cares. I mean, be careful…for Gippal." She gave Rikku a lopsided, forced smile, and Rikku grinned back at her despite the anger and hurt she was feeling.

"Thanks Wynter."

And with that, Rikku whirled around and began to run to the Moonflow. She'd go all the way to Bevelle if she had to, she _had_ to see Gippal. She had to tell him everything. More importantly, she had to get rid of Athilda. Traitor, Rikku thought angrily, starting to run faster.

"Will I make it through the Moonflow?" She suddenly wondered aloud. Visions of the day before when she was being stalked caused her to shiver.

"I've got to make it, I've got to make it…for Gippal. Gotta see Gippal, gotta see Gippal…"

"_Where're you going, Rikku?" Asked Cid in Al Bhed._

"_I've gotta see Gipp, Pop!" The young 14-year-old said, grinning. Cid cocked an eyebrow._

"_Gippal? What's the urgency there, youngin'?"_

"_He's come back from his first trip on an air ship! He said he'd tell me all about it! I don't want to be late!"_

_Cid laughed. "All right, all right, go and have some fun, Rikku." Rikku grinned. _

"_Thanks Pop!" Rikku ran out the door and down the long, metallic alley of Home until she heard the murmurs of a crowd from the main courtyard._

"_Gotta see Gippal, gotta see Gippal…" She checked her watch and cursed in Al Bhed. "I'm already twenty minutes late!" She ran the rest of the way, until she saw a large silver air ship parked outside of Home. Rikku want outside of Home, falling down on the sand dunes two or three times as she went. She laughed out loud, excited to see Gippal after so long apart._

"_Gippal! Gippal, sorry I'm late, but I have to see you—" _

_The grin was wiped off of her face as she came to an abrupt stop. Gippal was already off of the airship. But he wasn't waiting for her…he was already talking to a young Al Bhed girl, who was giggling and flirting quite bluntly with Gippal, who flirted right back. Rikku remembered that girl. She had gone on the trip with Gippal…_

"_I'm too late…" Rikku moaned, feeling her eyes begin to fill up with tears. "I'm too late."_

"I can't be late again," Rikku said to herself once more. She was already running through Moonflow Pass, and she was trying to ignore all the rustles she heard around her in the trees. "I might miss him. I might get taken. Maybe once he gets into Bevelle he can never get back. I can't be late. I _can't_ be late—"

Something that sounded like an arrow whizzed overtop Rikku's head. She stopped to look up, but all she saw was a small explosion above her, and than a cloth falling down overtop Rikku's head.

She screamed as it fell on top of her. It wasn't just a cloth – it was a net. The weights on the net wound around her legs, causing Rikku to fall to the ground, tied up in the net. She thrashed around, trying to reach her thief blades to cut the cord, but they were too far away. The tight cords of the net began to cut off her circulation at a rapid pace, and everything was already starting to become blurry.

"HELP!" Rikku screamed, knowing whoever threw the net was _not_ going to help. "Please! Help!"

Footsteps were suddenly heard coming towards Rikku. She looked up, blinking back the bleariness of her vision. A blond Al Bhed with familiar eyes and familiar teeth grinned down at her.

"Hey there Rikku," he said, giving a little chuckle. "So glad you dropped in to say hi to your old buddies."

More footsteps were heard. Rikku gave a strangled cry and turned her head to see, through the square pattern of the net, two recognizable people.

"Sunny, Liam, and Bilak at her your service," Sunny said, bowing low. Rikku had only enough strength to utter one word before she was lifted up, unconscious.

"Bastards."

**A/N**: Gasp. A lot of swearing and angry words in this chapter. Sssh…Gippal is feeling betrayed, and so is Rikku. You can't blame them. You just can't.

Not _everything_ has been explained in this chapter, but a good deal has! Sorry if it doesn't make sense. Ask questions about what I _said_ if you have any, and I'll try to answer them in my A/N next chapter…as long as it doesn't give away anything I might say later on in the chapter.

Thanks! Hope you liked it! The story is coming to a close…sob.


	22. Still Seperated

**A/N**: I'm sick. Ouch, my poor throat. Anyway, thanks for the reviews! They make me so happy. This story is almost done. But I'll probably drag it on longer than necessary, hehe…

**Bandit's Hideout, Moonflow Pass**

Rikku's eyes fluttered open, and she felt an ache that was traveling throughout her whole body. She moaned, closed her eyes, and scrunched herself into a little ball. Where was she? How had she gotten there? Where was…where was Gippal?

"Sunny! Sunny, she's awake!"

"What did I say about calling me _Sunny_, Liam? It's _Boss_."

"Sorry…Boss."

Rikku's spine went stiff as she heard the all too familiar voices. Her first thoughts were _pretend to be dead_. She couldn't exactly do that, so she pretended to still be unconscious. Rikku still didn't remember how she had gotten where she was. All she knew was that she could _not_ trust Sunny, Liam, and Bilak.

"Poke her," Sunny commanded. Something that felt like a stick jabbed Rikku sharply in the ribs. She clenched her teeth, but didn't move her body. "You call that a poke, Bilak? For God's sake, stab her with the stick!"

Rikku felt an even sharper pain in her side, and she couldn't help but allow a quiet whimper of pain to escape through her lips.

"What a little actress," Sunny muttered, and Rikku heard someone stepping close to her. Then she was being jostled around, her whole head shaking rapidly on her shoulders.

"Get up, get up, get up!" Sunny cried in a sing-song voice. Rikku unwillingly opened her eyes. Then the night before came whirling around in her head, and she saw the net, she saw Gippal leaving her, she saw Wynter, and she saw…

"Sunny," she managed to spit out, glaring at him shakily. Sunny only smirked cockily.

"Hello Al Bhed Princess. Feeling strong today? Feeling ready for a fight?"

Rikku's pale, shaky hand automatically went for her thief blades – but there was nothing around her waist. She nervously glanced down to see her blades and belt with all the pockets taken away.

"We wouldn't want you attacking us now, would we?" As Sunny laughed, Rikku felt like crying. She had no weapons. She couldn't even _fight_ these guys. If she could have, she would kick their butts in less than ten minutes. But instead of crying, Rikku sucked in her cheeks and acted brave.

"I don't need weapons to win, backstabber," Rikku shot at him. Sunny gave a mock gasp.

"You forgot to say hello just as kindly to Liam and Bilak!" He said, motioning over the two men, who were clearly trying to look anywhere but Rikku.

"Hello," Rikku said coolly, biting back the comment that was sitting on the tip of her tongue.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to go make some plans. Try to get comfortable, sweetie. It won't last long. Soon you'll be headed to the Big Boss." Sunny cackled at his statement, whirling around and leading a quiet Liam and Bilak behind him.

"Don't call me sweetie," Rikku snarled, but Sunny didn't hear her, which was too bad.

Soon the trio were gone, and Rikku took this time to gaze at her surroundings. A chain was tied around her left ankle, and the peg was bolted to the wall. The weird thing was that the walls and floors were made out of a kind of stone, but Rikku could clearly tell it was strong. There was no ripping the peg out of the wall.

"I'm so stupid," Rikku moaned, sitting down calmly. "I missed Gippal. I didn't make it…" The memory of when she was younger floated through her mind, but she forced herself to stay calm and brave. "I can't show any emotions other than happiness. They'll be quick to judge. I need to escape. I need to go find Gippal, and tell him about Athilda. Augh, this is getting worse and worse…"

And then Rikku heard a shrill scream from down the hall Sunny, Liam, and Bilak had trotted down. Rikku gazed out curiously, a worried expression on her face. There was someone else here?

"QUIET, YOU!" Sunny roared at the thing, and then the sound of something like a stick being thrown echoed down the hall. Rikku brought her legs closer and hugged her shins, rocking slowly back and forth with her chin propped up on her knees. Someone was here, and they were being tortured! How cruel!

"We won't need heranymore soon, boys." Rikku heard Sunny's voice say quietly as they walked past Rikku's little area at the end of the hall, which was sort of like a crevice in the stone. "She's no use to us now, so we might as well kill her."

"Kill her!" Bilak cried, shocked.

"Boss, you never said we were going to _kill_ her!"

"Hey, we left the two on the boat to die, remember? You didn't seem too worried then."

"That's because _you_ planned it! We didn't have anything to do with it-"

Sunny cut Bilak off with a Look. "Quiet around the tool," he barked, and the other two went obediently quiet. They didn't start talking until they had passed Rikku's crevice.

Tool? She thought numbly. I'm a tool now, huh?

"Gippal…" She managed to mumble out. "I really miss you…"

………

"Welcome to Guadosalam!" A Guado said in a comfortingly slow voice. Gippal waved them away with his free hand, the other still clutched around Athilda's wrist. The two were sopping wet, having just run through the Thunder Plains at lightning speed, no pun intended. Macalania Woods had, once again, proved to be peaceful, except for Athilda's continuous sobs. Finally the two were in Guadosalam, and Athilda kept saying she needed to rest.

"Let's stop at the hotel…"

"No," Gippal snapped.

"Please?"

"NO."

"But…I'm so tired…"

"That's what you get for lying and backstabbing people," Gippal growled, knowing it didn't make much sense. "Now hurry up, we're almost at the Moonflow."

Athilda immediately rooted her feet to the ground, shaking her head back and forth uncontrollably. "No…no. No. No, No. No, No…"

"Shut up and move!" Gippal cried, exasperated. But Athilda wouldn't budge. Gippal wasn't even sure if the spy had heard her. He sighed, rubbing at his forehead wearily. "All right. You asked for it."

In one swift movement Gippal had Athilda's small body overtop his shoulder. She began to scream in protest, pummeling his back with her fists, tears streaming down her face. The Guado only watched helplessly as Gippal strode past, anger clearly visible by the smoke emitting his ears.

"I _told_ you be quiet, so this is what you get for not coming of your own free will!"

"It was never my _free_ will, you've been dragging me along this whole time," Athilda snapped in a tone not often heard from her. Gippal only answered her with silence, praying that Rikku had stayed in Djose.

"So tell me more about why you became Saleed's spy. Did he pity you? Did he promise you things you've always wanted? Like being normal? Did he actually give you something? What was it? And _why_ does he want Rikku?"

"I thought you knew," Athilda barely mumbled.

Gippal ground his teeth together. "So Saleed told you that I knew why he wanted Rikku, eh?"

Athilda merely shrugged. "Maybe."

"Well, why did you become his spy, then? You still haven't answered that question."

"Maybe I don't want to."

"And maybe I don't want you to keep living. Maybe I'll just throw your little traitoring butt into the waters of the Moonflow and drown you. And truth be told, I'm not afraid to kill someone, even if they are a girl." Gippal was glad to see his speech caused a small whimper to escape from Athilda.

"I – he – just don't…don't let him hurt her."

"Rikku?" Gippal gave a sharp laugh as Gippal strode quickly through the wooded path towards the Moonflow. "I doubt you care about Rikku-"

"NOT RIKKU!" Athilda finally screeched. Gippal was a little surprised by the intensity of her voice. She took a deep, shuddering breath. "Just – just let me down and I'll tell you."

Gippal hesitated, knowing every second would cost him. "I'm still walking, no matter what," he snapped. Athilda nodded.

"Drag me by the wrist, I don't care, just please let me down."

Gippal did so, dropping her rather ungraciously onto her bottom. He grabbed her wrist and yanked her up about a nanosecond later. "Okay, you're off, now tell me." Gippal began walking quickly down the path, and he knew it was taking all Athilda had to keep up. He could hear her footsteps skittering on the ground, her feet tripping over each other out of pure exhaustion.

"If I don't help him, he'll hurt…her."

"Who's her?" Gippal asked, his voice not as menacing as before.

Athilda answered him with silence. "I can't…I'm afraid she may already be dead."

Gippal stayed silent, wondering who could be so important to Athilda. "What did he do to her?"

"He – he took her. He said he had heard of me, and knew my magic could be of…of some sort of use. That's what he told me later. So he took the only person in my life important to me. The only person who still cared about me, no matter of my strange magic."

Gippal was getting curious in spite of his anger and hate towards Athilda. "Who was she?"

"Who _is_ she," Athilda corrected. Gippal sighed and rolled his eye.

"Fine, who _is_ she?"

"She – she's my sister."

………

Rikku sighed, rubbing at her eyes tiredly. She grabbed the chain that was keeping her leg tied to the pole in the wall, and began yelling at it.

"You stupid hunk of metal! You weren't made to hold people hostage! Lemme go! Please? I wanna go home. I wanna see Gippal. I promise to be good if you just please, _please_ let me go?"

The chain, of course, didn't answer. Rikku sighed again. She was going delirious. She had only been kept hostage for, at the most, two days. The only reason she was going crazy was because she didn't have her weapons to protect her, and she could hear Sunny down the hall going on and on about how the Big Boss was coming to inspect Rikku. And Rikku really, _really_ didn't want to meet the man. She was afraid it would be Saleed, and if it was Saleed, that would mean she was going to die.

Rikku's ears perked, and she listened for any noise. Rikku had made a plan in her mind earlier that day to investigate the mysterious screamer. Bilak had passed her earlier to tend to the person, and Rikku desperately wanted to know whom it was.

"Sunny?" She called. No one answered. "Bilak? Liam?" She paused, and no one answered. No rustle of movement or anything down the hall opposite of the Screamer. "I'm free, guys! Look, I'm running down the hall to freedom!" Rikku giggled at her own stupidity, but thankfully no one answered. Time to investigate.

She peered over the wall of her crevice so her head was poking out in the hallway. About twenty feet down the hall was the Screamer's crevice. At least, that was Rikku's estimate.

"Hello?" She whispered down the hall. She was greeted with silence. "Well, hi anyway. My name's Rikku. Sorry to bother you if you're sleeping or something, but I'm also being held captive, and I'm about to be murdered in a day or two by the Big Boss, as the trio over there like to call him. Actually, they don't seem to be here right now, that's why I wanted to talk to you. What's your name? Actually, you don't have to tellme that, it's probably too personal and you're probably a little freaked out enough by Sunny, Liam, and Bilak. Yes, I know them. Oddly enough, they used to be my best friends." Rikku let out a short laugh, realizing how much her life had changed. "Yea, me and them went on a big diving journey, got separated, and that's when they turned evil. Now they want me for something, and they keep calling me a tool. At least, that's what they called me on the boat back when I was still with Gippal, the Machine Faction Leader. Well, actually, it was on a little piece of paper, and someone had called me the tool…"

"Stop," a hoarse voice answered suddenly. Rikku clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide with shock. She hadn't actually thought someone would answer her babbling.

"Okay," Rikku answered meekly.

"You…you talk too much," the dry voice said, and then it gave a dark chuckle. Rikku's eyebrows rose up past her bangs.

"Er – you okay?" She had a feeling she was dealing with a mad woman. At least, it sounded like a woman. She couldn't be sure.

"Okay? That's the understatement of the century," the voice said darkly, and Rikku was getting a little nervous. "After all," the voice continued, "I've been tortured over the past number of months, forced to give information about things I don't even know about. They barely keep me alive, but I'm here to keep…someone working for them. I'm the bait on the hook. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be here, Lady Rikku. I'm – I'm pretty sure of that." Then the voice chuckeld again, and Rikku felt something like pity deep in her heart.

"What's your name?" She asked again. The girl didn't answer at first.

"My name is…is Karren."

Rikku pursed her lips. Karren. That name sounded vaguely familiar, but she didn't press the girl.

"So…how come _I'm_ here because of you? That seems a little far-fetched."

"It's actually not because of me. The three evil men use me as bait for my…my little sister. She's a little different, and they torture me and hurt me just so they can send messages to my sister telling her about all the horrible things they do to me. The worse she feels, the better she'll do the job they assigned her. I…I was the only one who still looked at my sister when she was little. Everyone else loathed her because she was different, but I loved her with all of my heart, and I went with her when she went to go find help. But they…they didn't take her in. Bevelle…they didn't take her." Karren coughed and then Rikku heard another sardonic chuckle. "Sorry if my sister…if my sister lied. She's only hurting you because she's…she's trying to save me."

Rikku's eyes widened. "Karren, who _is_ your-"

"I'm telling you Bilak, the Auroch's will win the cup this year, now that that Tidus character is a main team member!"

"But without Wakka, they'll be in terrible shape…"

Rikku paled, and she drew her head back into the crevice, trembling with anxiety. Bilak and Liam were coming down the hall. She prayed they hadn't seen her, and she kept her legs tucked in, and she tried her hardest to look like she had been isolated for the longest time.

_I wish I could make myself cry_, she thought nervously. Someone's head peeked in, and Rikku tried her hardest to look like her whole body ached. She turned her neck an inch to the left to see who it was.

"Liam," was all she said, and he nodded slightly.

"Hello," he said, and Rikku could clearly tell his eyes were nervous. And then he was gone.

_At least I learned quite a bit about that Karren girl_, Rikku thought, biting the nail of her thumb in thought. _I wish I knew where her name was so familiar though…I mean, she's talking about her sister. I've never even MET her sister, that's just too crazy…_

"Wait," Rikku whispered to herself. She lifted her head, her memory buzzing as she closed her eyes tightly. The name. It was coming back to her…when she had heard it in…in Luca Harbor!

"_The only person who has ever cared for me was—was my elder sister, Karren. She came with me when my mom had gotten rid of me."_

"Karren!" Rikku whispered. "Her little sister _must_ be Athilda!" And then the huge plot, all the evil and drama headed in Rikku's direction this whole time started to make a bit more sense. Just a bit more sense.

………

"Your _sister_?" Gippal asked incredulously, and Athilda nodded slightly. Gippal hadn't stopped moving, but his pace was a bit slower when he heard that bit of information. "You mean…?"

"Saleed is keeping my elder sister prisoner."

Gippal cringed. "Wow. That must suck."

"Just a bit. You see, that's why I've been working against you and Lady Rikku. I really, _really_ didn't want to, but if Rikku had been captured and you couldn't do anything about it, wouldn't you do what they told you to?"

Gippal shrugged, knowing the answer was yes. "Maybe," he said quietly.

"Well, Saleed took me after he took my sister, and showed me her cell in this dank, dark cave. She was so sad, and already there were marks on her body from where she had been…been abused. Saleed told me this was my motivation, and if I wanted Karren, that's my sister, to be freed, I had to listen to him and whatever he said. Naturally I did, and he said that my strange magic, first of all, would help him locate his much needed tool, as he called it. He told me to close my eyes and concentrate, and so I did, and I could feel my magic doing something, but I didn't know what. Then he told me to open my eyes, and that was it. I don't know what my magic had done, but I was sent to come and find you and Rikku and give you two a phony note. That's why I was so…so nervous. And then I was supposed to keep an eye on you two so Saleed knew what was going on and could get _me_ to try and prevent anything that might get you away. Then, one day I got a note from him that said I had to try and split you up in the Moonflow. That's why I kept telling you it was smart to send Rikku to Djose. I succeeded, but now you're bringing me back. Karren will be killed for sure now!" Athilda let out a little sob, but Gippal didn't stop.

"I'm sorry that everything was so hard for you Athilda, but my life isn't really peachy either at the moment. So instead of seeing me as your enemy, how about we try and work together to defeat Saleed? Then you're sister will be free, and Rikku will be safe. You know all about how Saleed works, and I – I can kill him," Gippal muttered, his eyes burning with anger once more.

"Ride zee shoopuf?" A Hypello suddenly asked, stepping into Gippal's way. Gippal hadn't realized they were over here already.

"Er – yes please. To the South Moonflow. And fast."

"Okays, jush wait pleash," the Hypello said slowly.

"So what do you say, Athilda?" Gippal asked, turning to look at the girl. He was a bit shocked to see her the way she looked. Her hair was tangled and messy, her skin was dusty and her eyes were red from tears and exhaustion. She looked terrible, but Gippal guessed he looked just the same.

"But he'll kill her," Athilda mumbled.

"Not if we stop him first." Gippal sighed. "Look Athilda, you should be happy I haven't killed you yet. I can see your reasons for wanting to listen to him, but you still ruined my life, and you're putting Rikku in danger. Even if your sister is saved, Rikku will die. That's not much better, if you think about it. So please, even though I'm not one hundred percent happy with you, we still have to work together, all right?"

Athilda was silent. "Fine…but on one condition."

"What?" Gippal asked, as the two were led by a Hypello onto the back of a shoopuf.

"You accept my apology for all the pain I have caused you and Lady Rikku. I know I'll never be able to fix it, and I know you probably still hate me…but please just accept my apology. I'm terribly sorry. Truly, I am."

Gippal sighed. "Fine, fine, I accept it, blah, blah, the end. Hey, can we hurry it up here?" He called to the Shoopuf Driver.

"Shoopuf have one shpeed only, Shir!" the Hypello cried back. Gippal growled and set his face in his hands, tapping his foot nervously. "I can't let her get in danger," said Gippal, unknowing to the danger Rikku was facing just a few minutes away from where Gippal was himself. "I just can't…"

………

Rikku was tugging at her hair, mind racing with new thoughts and revelations. Everything made sense now. Well, except for the little missing thing that told her _why_ in all of Spira Saleed wanted Rikku. That would probably help.

Another scream. Rikku cringed. She couldn't stand it. Not after talking to Karren. Not after knowing her story. Karren was the bait…Karren was here because of Athilda's magic. Rikku was here because of Karren. Athilda must have been the tracking device for Saleed, and that's how they found Rikku, and then she must have told him they split and Rikku went to Djose or something…

Another shriek reverberated off of the stone walls. Rikku's mind exploded. "STOP!" She finally screamed. "STOP RIGHT NOW! NO ONE DESERVES THAT! NO ONE…NO ONE…"

Rikku went silent as she heard an unfamiliar voice in the back. Her spine shivered at its cold hardness. It was almost like nails on a chalkboard.

"Was that...her?" it asked hoarsely.

"Y-Yes, Sir," Sunny answered. Rikku was surprised at how timid he suddenly seemed.

"Lead me to her," the voice croaked.

"But…sir, she isn't ready-"

"LEAD ME TO HER!" It demanded, and it gave off such a feeling of power and evil that Sunny had nothing to do but listen.

"Y-Yes, Sir. This way."

Rikku immediately stood up, ready to fight even without weapons. She could handle anything these guys threw at her! The steps grew louder, and Rikku knew they were coming to her crevice.

"In here, Sir."

"Excellent…"

Rikku balled up her fists, ready to punch the "Sir"…

But she wasn't prepared for what he – or it was. Not prepared at all.

**A/N**: Eek! It's a boring chapter, I know. I really, _really_ wanted Rikku and Gippal to get together in this chapter, for a certain reason I guess you'll see in the next one. I hope it's starting to make a bit more sense. If not, I'll try to explain things better later on!

Please, _please_ review! I seem to have lost plenty of my reviewers. Sniff.


	23. Within an Inch of Freedom

**A/N**: Okay, I'm thinking that this should be around the second or third last chapter of my story. –clings to story- I love it so much. Sniff. I'll be so sad to see it go. AND YOU BETTER BE TOO. Heehee.

**PS**: Did I get it right that they needed to go to the South Moonflow? Djose by the South Moonflow, right? Wait. Oh, it's probably the North, I just know it…

**Bandit's Hideout, Moonflow Pass**

"So…" the thing hissed, half covered by the shadows of the entryway of Rikku's crevice. She took a revolted step back, making sure to keep her expression neutral.

"You're a little too pretty to be used as such a tool," it murmured, taking one more step in. Rikku couldn't help it. She gasped.

Now that he was in the full light, Rikku was faced with the same ugliness Gippal was before. The scaly, scabby skin, the sunken in eyes, dry, hacking voice, six foot tall figure…he was draped in a green, ragged cloak, saving Rikku the pain to see anything past it. But seeing his burnt skin with the long, inching fingers gave away enough information.

"Saleed," she said, saying it as a statement, not a question.

"Ah. So Little Gippal has informed you about me, has he?" Rikku didn't answer his mocking tones. Her eyes flickered past Saleed to see a shadowy figure of Sunny standing in the doorway, too scared to come any closer.

"Sir, see? We got her, after the first time and all. Sir, aren't you happy? We did—"

"Yes, yes," Saleed snapped, cutting Sunny off abruptly. "But I don't care for your useless chatter. Go get it ready."

"Already? I mean, don't you want to rest or something, perhaps?"

"NOW," Saleed hissed sternly, and Rikku saw Sunny's form flee a nanosecond later. At least he didn't want Rikku to die quite yet. After all, who could give up on a friendship like they had so fast? Not Sunny, that's for sure.

"Now…Rikku is it?"

"You should know," she snapped, acting braver than she felt. Saleed lifted his head an inch or so, just so Rikku could see something – something terrible. She saw round, empty, black eyes, like holes waiting to be filled up with something. No emotion could be traced – nothing but emptiness and anger.

"I don't appreciate you taking that tone with me," he whispered, his hoarse voice coming out like a croak.

"I don't appreciate you taking me hostage," Rikku shot back instantly, immediately wishing she hadn't. There was a difference between bravery and stupidity. She had just crossed that line.

Saleed took two swift steps towards her. "You listen to me, girl! You're not as great as you think you are! All your life, all your childhood, _I_ controlled. I am the one who brought you and Gippal together, and I am the one who split you apart. I can do much, much more than that."

Rikku had backed up until her spine had crunched against the stonewall, but she didn't care. So Saleed admitted it. He had controlled everything she had ever done with Gippal. "Why?" she finally managed. "Why did you want Gippal to get close to me and feed you information? I – I was told that one thing he had told you made you happy, and that's when you told him to split us up…" Rikku's voice drifted off as Saleed turned around, saving Rikku of having to look at his face.

"So…he told you the story, hmm? No matter. After all, I'm not some idiot bad guy who'll tell his whole plan to the damsel in distress. Because you aren't a damsel in distress. No, you're too strong to be in distress. So I do think my plan that has involved you over the number of years is safe with me, correct? I just don't trust it with an excitable girl like yourself."

"No," Rikku muttered before thinking. Then she clapped a hand over her mouth. There was a tense, eerie silence in Rikku's stone room. She was scared he would burst into flame and morph into some sort of monster…but he didn't. Instead, he just strode swiftly out of the crevice.

"I will come back to retrieve you for the process this evening, Rikku."

"Process?" she whispered meekly.

"Oh yes. I do say it will be quite – interesting." And then he was gone.

"Interesting?" moaned Rikku. "Why can't it ever be _fun_?"

………

"Do you think it'll work?"

"I don't know, that's why I asked _you_," Gippal snapped back. Athilda and Gippal were sitting, hidden in the little tent behind the Shoopuf Docks, trying to discuss and figure out a plan.

"But we don't know where they _are_!" Athilda cried out dramatically, burying her face into her hands. "I don't know what we'll be able to do. If you and Lady Rikku had just worked with the plan-"

"Rikku would have died! Oh yes, so much easier, isn't it?" Gippal asked in a fake cheery voice, but it clearly showed his anger through the steeliness of his tone. "Look, we have to hurry, or we might be too late-"

"We ARE too late! They'll know I'm here! If they know I've returned, they'll – they'll…"

Gippal felt something like pity stab at his heart when he looked at Athilda just then. Right there, he realized that she must have had a tough life. No friends, no family, possessed by a strange power, and then her only family taken away to be beaten, and finally having to follow Gippal and Rikku, not the easiest people to get along with, and make them follow an invisible plan.

But then he snapped out of it. "No. No, we have to think of something…"

"We could always…find a bandit and stalk him to the hideout?" Athilda asked, her voice so monotonous it was obvious she was being sarcastic. She was quite a different girl once she dropped the polite act.

Gippal's eye lit up. "Wait – that's it!"

Athilda looked over at him. "You're joking, right?"

Gippal stood up suddenly. "No, it could work! We've just got to…got to set it up somehow, ya know?" He started to pace, one hand on his chin. "We know it's on the Moonflow Pass. One of us could, could hide there or something. Actually, both of us could. First to spot a straggler walker pounces and then we pummel the answer out of them!" Gippal broke into his first smile in days – too bad it was twisted with revenge and wrath.

"I really don't know how you got that out of my suggestion…" Athilda muttered, rubbing at her eyes wearily. "Sir Gippal, please don't take offense, but that's just stupid. First of all, you cannot possibly ask me to fight someone innocent. How do we know they're actually a bandit? They could be an innocent person going on a walk!"

Gippal shook a finger at her face. "No, no, no. See, that's the beauty of it. Bandits are very protective of their land. They like to pop up and try to battle you. If we can just get them to pounce on us, you know, bait 'em, then we can get some answers out of them…"

"I won't fight," Athilda stated stubbornly, crossing her arms. Gippal whirled around on his heel, giving her an exasperated look.

"Athilda, I don't have _time_ for this! Rikku _and_ Karren could be dying for all we know – "

"SHUT UP!" Athilda suddenly screeched, standing up abruptly. The octave of her voice scared Gippal into taking a step back. "My sister is NOT dying!" Her eyes were wide with fury, and something like – like worry. She was hiding her fear.

"Athilda…" Gippal started, his voice deadly grave. He was glad to see his tone caused Athilda to sit down once more, watching him carefully. "Athilda, we _need_ to do all we can. I know you may not be fond of your magic, but if you want to save your sister as much as I want to save Rikku, we've _got to work together_." Gippal emphasized the last part so much that he thought he saw Athilda wavering.

"Fine," she finally spat; standing up and dusting invisible dirt off of her Yevon robes.

Gippal cracked another one of his successful grins. "Oh, I advise you to take the robe off. It might slow you down."

Athilda hesitated. "But – "

"Athilda," Gippal whispered in a warning tone. Athilda shrugged the robe off onto the floor. Thankfully, she was wearing a plain brown dress underneath.

"All right, all right, just don't strangle my wrist again."

Gippal grabbed her wrist. Athilda frowned. "Hey, I _said_ – "

"I know what you said. But you're too slow. I have to _make_ you run." And with that, Gippal and Athilda ran down the road.

………

Rikku was crouching at the opening of her cave once more, her face turned towards Karren's similar living quarters. She had heard Sunny, Liam, Bilak and Saleed leaving for some room hidden behind a wall – the room they were to bring Rikku to later.

"Karren?" She whispered harshly, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

"Yes?"

"Are you awake?"

"No, I'm asleep."

"Aww, come on…"

"Of course I'm awake, Lady Rikku. It's not like I ever sleep…"

Rikku hesitated. "Do you mind if I tell you something I wouldn't tell anyone else?" She heard shifting from down the hall, and suddenly realized how odd it was for her to be having a conversation with a girl she had never seen, nor met. All she knew her by was her voice. And truth be told, the voice wasn't very comforting. Hoarse, cracking, and cynical were a few of its characteristics – and yet, Rikku could still hear, deep down, that there was an old voice hidden within filled with laughter and happiness, a voice like Rikku's own.

"Well, Karren, I'm telling you this because I trust you. Probably because we have the same problem, but anyway, I'm – I'm afraid. There. I said it. I know it's probably not a lot to you, but it's a lot to me. I've never been, well, _truly_ afraid. Fighting Sin? Shocking, interesting, new, but not frightening. Fighting Vegnagun? Adrenaline rushing, startling, exciting – but not frightening. Even when Gippal and me were escaping a spirit-infested beach, I wasn't REALLY scared, you know? Gippal was there, and with him there, it felt like there was still hope. There was still hope for us to get free, because he's always protected me." Rikku let out a small, sad chuckle. "Did you know we grew up together? I remember he'd always save me from the littlest fiends that would probably lick you to death, not kill you. I remember how close we were, what great friends we were, and the first time we kis – " Rikku stopped, suddenly feeling sick. "But Saleed planned it all. The life me and Gippal shared was all a sick, twisted idea from some evil guy. It's so weird, because the man I love…I love him because of the relationship we had as children. I love him because of Saleed…but now that Gippal's not here, now that Saleed tricked him into going to Bevelle – it's too late. Even if he does realize it's a trick, it's too late. They're killing me tonight. That's why I'm afraid. Gippal isn't here, thinking up a plan or making a joke to make me feel better. He's not here to hold me tight or stroke my hair…" Rikku let out a small sob and buried her face in her hands. "It just feels like there's this huge load on my shoulders, and I can't get rid of it…not without Gippal. I know the end is near, and yet – and yet I can't help but still hope. Even just a little…"

Rikku let out a relieved sigh, wiping the tears from her eyes. Now she felt a bit better with lifting the load off of her shoulders for another person to listen to.

"Wow Lady Rikku. Are you going to be okay?"

"Okay? Well, I dunno."

"You know, you…well…nah."

"No, tell me!" Rikku cried, bouncing up. "Tell me, tell me!"

"Nah."

"Please?"

"I don't know if you'll like it…"

"Poopie, Karren! Tell me!"

"Well, okay. You know, your story _is_ sad, and it _does_ make sense…but was Gippal there when you fought Sin?"

"No…"

"Was he there when you fought Vegnagun?"

"Well, yea, but not to protect me or anything. In fact, I think he kind of hated me…"

"So why do you need him so badly now? You did fine then, and now, no offense, you sound like one of those poor innocent girls who can't do a thing."

"HEY!" Rikku cried indignantly down the hall. "That's not true! I'm just telling you how much I miss him…"

"And how much you need him to get free. Lady Rikku, I'm not like you. I'm not strong. You can get out of here yourself, I _know_ you can. I've heard so many stories about you, how brave and strong and independent you are. Is this how you want to turn out? You can't live with a man kind of thing?"

Rikku gasped, clapping her hands to her mouth. "Cred…" she muttered in Al Bhed. "Karren, you're _right_! I _have_ become one of those sappy, I need the guy to live kinda girls!" She started pacing, the chain around her ankle clanking along the ground. "This is terrible! I have to shake it off! I can do this…I can get out of here on my own. Gippal probably doesn't even _want_ to help me. He's probably having a grand old time in Bevelle…" The thought caused some kind of unknown anger to boil inside of Rikku. "You know what? I don't know _why_ I think I need him. He's just a meanie anyway, always teasing me and messing up my hair! Well that's it! I'm getting out!"

"Good job Lady Rikku. I hope you get free…"

"What?" Rikku asked, shocked. "Me? You make it sound like I'm getting out alone! Karren, Karren, Karren…you're coming with me."

………

Gippal sighed, strapping his pistol back into his holster. He kicked the body of a bandit, his face bloody and bruised. His arm seemed to bent at an odd angle too. "How'd it go for you Athilda?" He looked over to see the lady standing there, trembling slightly. The man looked like he had been struck by lightning…fifty times over.

"He – he got really angry and rushed at me, and the adrenaline got too high – "

"That's okay. We just need to wake one up and get some information. Good job on baiting them."

"Yea, dropping my purse and leaving the money on the road _seemed_ like a good idea, didn't it?"

"It sure worked."

"I guess. But now I don't have my money."

"Just take it back!" Gippal cried like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But that's like stealing."

"_Athilda_…"

"All right, all right!"

As the girl dug around the belt of the one bandit, Gippal kicked his in the ribs. He groaned, rolling onto his side. Gippal kicked him again. "Wake up!" he yelled, surprising himself at the hatred in his voice. "Wake up, I have some questions for you!"

"Sa?" The man asked, his speech slurred. Gippal could see why. Blood still clotted the man's mouth.

"Sir Gippal, you should at least give him a potion…"

"Fine, fine…but it's wasted gil then." Gippal rummaged around in his pocket and pulled one out, pouring it into the bandit's mouth. After a few moments he sputtered, his eyelids flickering. When his eyes finally opened and focused, he let out a shriek.

"It's you! You!" He scrambled back, retrieving his sword from the ground. But he didn't stand a chance. Gippal was already on his back, digging his knee into his spine, his arm wrapped tightly around the man's neck.

"I have some questions for you," Gippal hissed quietly into his ear. He could feel the weak man shivering. "You're going to answer them, understand?"

The man let out a ragged choke. "Yes – yes, just please…please don't kill me…"

Gippal let go of his grip on the neck, though he kept his knee on his back.

"Where's the hideout?"

The man couldn't help but snort. "The hideout? I can't tell you _that_, anything but th—"

Gippal took out his pistol lazily, flicking the safety off and pointing it into the back of his head. "Are you willing to risk your life on that promise?" Gippal asked calmly. The man started to shake feverishly.

"I – I – "

"Look, we're only going in once. I promise not to hurt anyone. Promise. We just need to retrieve a – tool that was taken from us."

The cold metal of the pistol must have scared the man senseless. "B-B-Behind the machina! There! Behind the trees! There's a – a little alcove, you'll see a blue machina. Code in the buttons is…is two nine five…please, please let me go."

Gippal relaxed, standing up off of the man and grabbing his sword. He chucked it into the forest, too far away for the sickly bandit to get it. Gippal watched him carefully, seeing the shocked expression on his face. "Don't worry," Gippal started, "this'll be our little secret." He gave a menacing smile and then turned around to the forest spoken by the bandit. Athilda followed him timidly.

"Sir Gippal?"

"Yes?"

"That was – scary."

"Yea, but it worked."

"There _are_ going to be guards and many other obstacles in the hideout."

"We can take them. Those bandits were nothing."

"But what if it becomes too easy for my? My adrenaline might go down…"

"Don't worry. You'll be so scared your magic'll probably be popping out of your eyeballs."

"What a pleasant picture," Athilda said dryly. Gippal only grinned as the two reached the blue machina. He quickly pressed in the three number code, watching what had seemed like the side of the mountain slide open. He cracked his knuckles, a fire in his eye not normally seen by living people.

"Let's go kick some bandit _ass_."

………

Rikku continued to tug at the peg stuck in the rocky wall. She sighed, wiping the sweat off of her brow. Time had been wasted and time had gone by. Saleed and his henchmen would be coming to take her to the mystery room soon. Maybe she could escape then. Maybe…

"Karren?"

"Yes?"

"You're sure there's nothing in your cave we could use?"

"Unless you call a stick useful…"

Rikku sighed, rubbing at her eyes wearily. She glanced down at the metal ring around her ankle. She slipped off her boots, seeing if it would magically slide down her ankle. But it was new Al Bhed technology – it molded to the size of the ankle. "Hey…Karren! In your metal anklet chain thing, is there a key hole like there is in mine?"

Karren looked down in hers. "No…I wonder why…"

Rikku scurried to the opening of her cave, brain whirring and clicking. It was so obvious…SO obvious.

"Karren!" Rikku nearly screeched. "Karren, look across from your cave onto the wall facing you. Mine just has a door into Sunny's room, but what does yours have?" Rikku's heart was thumping wildly, praying, hoping…

"A peg holding…holding the keys! Lady Rikku, there's a metal ring with keys on it!" Karren's voice now had some of the happiness Rikku had heard deep down. Rikku cracked a grin. "Those could hold the keys to our braces! That's why yours doesn't have a keyhole, because if you could get the keys, it would be useless to you! But not to me!" Rikku laughed nervously. She hadn't felt this smart in ages.

"Karren, throw the stick at the keys."

"But they'll just _fall_! They'll still be too far away…"

Rikku could feel her heart falling down to her feet. It wasn't going to work, it wasn't…

"How long is the stick Karren?"

"Really long, they – I get it! Lady Rikku, you're a genius!"

Rikku watched nervously, and yet she was excited. She was afraid Saleed or one of the Al Bhed, or any of the bandits she knew inhabited the front rooms would come walking by as Karren started phase one. Rikku soon saw a long, brown, splintered stick appear from Karren's cave. It was a bit shaky, heading slowly for the keys. Rikku didn't dare talk, only waited with baited breath. The whole hall was silent as Karren jiggled the stick around the key ring. The stick flopped to the floor a few times because it was becoming heavy, but Rikku knew it was going to work…she saw the ring coming closer and closer to the edge…

"Lady Rikku! I have them! I have the keys!" Rikku could have burst out crying.

"Karren, you're an _angel_! Quick, toss them here!" She saw the stick retreating and the jiggling of keys. Soon she saw the metal ring of keys soaring towards her cave. They landed inches away from Rikku's grasp. She grunted as she stretched her slim fingers out to them.

"Come on…come on…" She squinted, thankful that one of the keys had landed lopsidedly closer to her than the rest of the keys. She grabbed for it, pulling the rest of the keys along with it. She let out a joyful laugh. "Karren, I got it! You were right! I _didn't_ need Gippal!"

"We can celebrate later, Lady Rikku! Hurry!"

Rikku did so, fitting in all the keys one at a time into the metal hold. Her hands shook from nervousness and excitement. Finally, a small silver one clicked into place, and Rikku felt air swoop down on the sweaty area of her skin.

"I'm coming Karren!"

Rikku started running out of her crevice, the feeling of walking odd to her sensations. Her legs weren't used to it, she could feel them collapsing…

Inches away from Karren's cave, Rikku fell to the ground, her whole body shaking from the effort. She was so weak! How could she possibly save Karren now?

"Boss! BOSS!" The familiar voice of Liam buzzed in Rikku's ears. Oh Yevon, please not now…

"What?"

"She got out! She got free!"

"Who?"

"Rikku!"

Footsteps were coming towards Rikku.

"Lady Rikku! Hurry! Please don't leave me here, please!" Sobbed Karren. Rikku's heart nearly broke at the sad voice, the voice that was losing hope. Rikku wriggled her way closer, but everything was starting to go black…she wished they had given her water to drink…

"No you don't, Princess." Strong hands wrapped around Rikku's body, lifting her away from Karren's cave. "Karren…" Rikku rasped as she was being lifted. She felt so useless, just like a rag doll.

"Karren, I'm…I'm sorry."

"No!" The voice shrieked, and her sobs were now ringing in Rikku's ears. But she couldn't do anything about it. She had fainted.

………

"Sir Gippal! There's one behind you!" Gippal whirled around in time to punch a bandit in the face, all the anger Gippal had felt over the past few weeks and days coming out in a whir of kicks, punches, bullets, and other ways of murder and hurting. Athilda continued to use her magic, which was getting haphazard and striking at random places. She was having a difficult time controlling it under all the pressure.

"There! We're done here!" Gippal raced ahead, jumping over the limp bodies of bandits. Athilda followed close behind. The two turned around a corner, and were met with a long, dark hallway. Athilda whimpered.

"This is it."

"Already? But we've only fought…"

"About one hundred bandits. I'm sure of it. This is it. They blindfolded me and brought me here…this is where Karren is."

"So Rikku must be here?" Gippal asked, his tone hopeful. The two were breathing heavily, sweat and dirt covering their whole bodies.

"Maybe…"

Gippal felt like falling into a bed right then and there. He wanted this all to be over. Many of the bandits had been professional fighters, and had given Gippal quite a fight. His arm was bleeding and his only eye was bruised, but Athilda was in worse shape. Her leg was most likely broken, and her eyes were red and filled with tears. She seemed paler and more fragile than ever, probably because all of her magic had been used up.

"We split up."

"Sir Gippal!"

"You look for Karren, I look for Rikku."

"Well…"

"It's just one hallway. We can't be too far apart."

"All right."

The two walked together for a moment, until Gippal came to the first door. Athilda went on, but Gippal stopped. His loaded his pistol, positioning it in front of him. He slowly opened the door, its hinges soundless. He peeked inside to see an empty room. It was boring with all blue walls, ceiling, and floor with a simple white bed in the middle.

"Sir Gippal! You might want to come see this…"

Gippal left the room, running ahead towards what had looked like a crack in the wall. But he could see Athilda standing on the other side. "Come see…"

Gippal slid through the crack with great difficulty, his shirt ripping in places. "God, this is terrible…" he managed to mutter, feeling his breathing getting cut off. But soon he reached the end, popping into a little cave. He looked around and saw a peg hammered into the rock, along with a chain and an open metal anklet. A ring of keys was lying on the floor, but Athilda had picked them up.

"Over there," she whispered, pointing to the corner. Gippal gazed to the right, his eyes falling on something familiar.

"Her boots," he said hoarsely, picking one up nervously. "These are Rikku's boots…"

"She's been here," Athilda whispered.

"They took her. The bastards _took_ her!" Gippal threw a boot against the wall in anger. "We're too late, Athilda! We're too – "

"Down the hall, at the end. Go Liam, I'll be right there. If Sunny knows what happened with the bandit guards…"

"But him and Saleed are busy with Rikku!"

"Just go in and _tell_ him what happened!"

"Fine, fine!"

Footsteps ran past the crevice. Gippal and Athilda stood stock still, their eyes wide with fear. Gippal hadn't been expecting Sunny, Liam, and Bilak to be here. When I see them I'll kill them on the spot, he thought, anger boiling in his veins. But all was quite moments later.

"At the end of the hall," Gippal whispered. "They've got Rikku at the end. Come on, your sister might be here somewhere still." With great difficulty, the two slid out of the crevice once more into the empty hallway.

That's when they heard the sobs.

"Oh my…" Without an explanation, Athilda went running down the hall. About fifteen feet away was another giant crack. Athilda stuck her head into the crack. "Karren?" She called. Gippal watched her body curiously, seeing her hands wringing each other nervously. The sobbing stopped.

"A-Athilda?"

"KARREN! OH THANK YEVON!" Gippal saw the girl squeeze into the crack, and then she was gone. But Gippal didn't have time for the reunion. He needed to get Rikku. He may already be too late if Saleed was here already…

His heavy combat boots banged against the rock floor as he ran for the door. It was large and metal, but was still open a crack. Silly Liam seemed to have forgotten to close it all the way. Gippal stopped in front of it, listening closely to the murmuring voices. Time to make his entrance.

He kicked the door open, his pistol held in both hands cop style. He gave the three men a cocky smile, who were now looking at the door, stunned into silence. "Hey boys," he said, his eye filled once more with the fire only soon-to-be-dead mean saw.

"Miss me?"

**A/N**: Tsk, tsk, Gippal got angry earlier on and SWORE. GASP. Well, I like this chapter. Uber long. I kinda had to make Rikku at least save herself once. I mean, she cant' be all clingy and dependant, right? That's just NOT Rikku. She was so close to saving Karren. I'll bring Karren and Athilda up in the next chapter, just to bother you. Hurrah! I'm so excited!


	24. Double Trouble, Boil and Rescues

**A/N**: Sorry for the late update, I've got pre carpal tunnel sydrome so I've been trying to stay off the computer less because it hurts my whole right arm from the wrist to the shoulder to go on. Sniff. Hope you enjoy the saving chapter! WILL THEY BE REUNITED? Gasp, gasp, gasp.

**Bandit's Hideout, Mystery Room**

"Ah, Gippal…such an _un_pleasant surprise to see you," Saleed growled in a greasy voice. Gippal narrowed his eye more, focusing all his hatred at the man Saleed.

"Give me Rikku," he finally spat, relieved to see that the three Al Bhed traitors were staying well enough away from him. But Saleed continued to stand where he was, arms crossed and eyes filled with madness.

"Ah, trying to be brave, Little Boy?" he cackled, causing Gippal's left hand to tremble slightly. How was it that Saleed made him feel small and insignificant all over again? Because he's been haunting you for your whole life, doofus, thought his brain fiercely. Shoot him!

"Take a look around the room, Gippal. _See_ if you can find and take your precious Rikku."

Gippal stared at Saleed for a few more moments, afraid to leave his gaze incase he tried to murder him. But Gippal couldn't stare at him forever. Damnit, I could use two eyes right now, he thought numbly, his one flicking around the room carefully.

It was a small, circular room. The walls were made of a sheet metal, as well as the walls and ceiling. There were no windows, only three silver uncomfortable chairs on one wall, and a silver table made for something like Frankenstein in the middle. A large machina sat beside the table, wires and gears and all innards of it clearly visible, as well as all weaknesses. It reached up to almost the ceiling, when it finally turned at a 90-degree angle with something like a tip of a giant pen on the end. It looked like it could rotate, for it was pointed at an odd 45 or so degree angle down at the metal table. Gippal squinted up at it, trying to see its use. But nothing came to mind. Nothing at all.

"Do you see her?"

Gippal was silent. He couldn't stand the taunting in Saleed's voice, and he was afraid he might snap if he spoke. But did that matter? He cocked his gun at Saleed's face. "I could kill you. You're no importance to me. I'm sure these three _fine_ gentlemen won't mind telling me where Rikku is," Gippal said coolly, though inside his stomach was starting to flop around uselessly. Where _could_ Rikku be?

The laugh that came from Saleed did not ease Gippal's mind. "These men know nothing. They're the monkey's, the get down and dirty men. If you want to find your girlfriend, you'll need me."

Gippal's hands started to shake then, more so from fury then fright. That gloating look on Saleed's face just made the experience all the more aggravating. Filthy, slimy, evil git. He ruined Gippal's life as a child, and now he was going to ruin it as an adult. He was surprised at how well he was keeping his temper in.

"You can put down the gun, Gippal."

Gippal glared at Saleed, who glared back. "Put it _down_, Gippal," Saleed hissed, his voice more low and menacing then ever. Gippal unwillingly put it in its holster around his belt, feeling like a little wooden puppet. Always doing as he said, always obeying…but not for long.

"There. You're not dead. Now tell me where she is," Gippal snapped.

"Ah, I'm afraid I can't do that. I need her for my…test."

"Test? You mean experiment?" Gippal snarled, taking one threatening step closer. A little voice in the back of his head was screaming, "stop! Stop! You're going to get us all killed!" but he didn't listen.

"I guess you could call it that. But whatever the title, it all means the same."

Gippal could tell he was on the verge of learning why Saleed wanted Rikku. "Why do you want her, Saleed?" he asked rather bluntly. "What's _so_ important about her that you killed my parents in order to get someone close to Rikku to get information from? Why?"

Saleed merely chuckled. "Gippal, you have been known to escape from death. I can't trust such a deadly secret with you. No, not even these three monkeys know what she's for."

Gippal risked a glance over at Sunny, Liam, and Bilak, who all looked down at the floor uncomfortably. Except for Sunny.

"Sir, I think we _do_ deserve a chance to know. After all, because of us she's here…"

"Silence!" Saleed barked. Silence immediately ensued, and Gippal ran a hand through his hair.

"Look, this is all fun and dandy, but where's _Rikku_?" He glared at Saleed, who merely shifted his arms.

"Fool. Sometimes they can be right under your nose."

Out of instinct, Gippal looked down at the floor, expecting Rikku to pop up in some kind of gypsy dress or something. But nothing came.

"Tricked you," Saleed whispered menacingly. Something started to whirr from above Gippal. He looked up, shocked, to see something not as pleasant as the floor.

………

"ATHILDA! Oh thank heavens you arrived!"

Athilda ran straight for the woman, clutching her hands on Karren's shoulders as she sobbed into her neck. Karren was crying too, but started to coo at Athilda to calm down as she had always done when they were younger.

Karen was pale and fragile, small for her size. Her eyes were an icy blue and her hair was platinum blond, seemingly luminescent. Her clothes were tattered and her natural beauty was hidden behind the make up of bruises over her skin. But Athilda didn't care. Her sister was back. She was back with her sister.

She had her family.

"Oh Karren, I thought I would never see you again…I thought they had killed you…"

Karren hugged Athilda tightly, her voice muffled by the material of Athilda's shirt on her shoulder.

"They were going to…once Rikku was killed, they were going to kill me too. Lady Rikku tried to save me, but her legs weren't used to movement…she fell…" Karren pulled away from her sister and looked into her eyes lovingly.

"Athilda, you came back…"

Athilda grinned shakily at her older sister. "Where're the keys? I'll try to get you out…"

"They took them," Karren said grimly. "Besides, it doesn't matter. This thing," she pointed to the metal band around her ankle, "doesn't have a keyhole anyway. So I don't see…" She stopped talking as Athilda stood up, her eyes squinted in thought. She walked over to the peg in the wall similar to Rikku's. She looked at it carefully, and then let out a small "aha."

"There's a keyhole on the peg that disengages it from the chain. You still have the metal band around your ankle until we could get it removed professionally…"

"But they took the keys!" Karren cried, her bottom lip trembling. She then grabbed for her younger sister's leg.

"Athilda, please don't leave me…please don't abandon me here with them…" She was sobbing now, and Athilda bent down to stroke her hair gently.

"Karren, don't worry. I promise not to leave you. I'll save you; I'll never abandon you, even if they lock me up. I've faced Saleed, I have magic he needed. I can use that to my advantage…" Athilda straightened up. "But first things first. I need the keys."

"But they – "

Athilda jiggled the key ring in her hands. "Don't have them," Athilda finished, grinning impishly as she stuck the key in the peg. The chain immediately collapsed from the peg, and Karren stood up shakily.

"Take your time," Athilda scolded. "You said Lady Rikku fell because she wasn't used to walking, and I don't want that happening to you either. Besides, I'm sure Sir Gippal can take care of himself."

………

Gippal bounded across the circular room, his ears burning from the laughs and hoots from Saleed and the trio of traitors. The giant machina that had once looked so still and solid had grown mechanical legs, and its pen shaped top was now chasing Gippal around the room. At first he was only afraid of the enormous feet that could crush him, and the jabbing pen top that bobbed down occasionally like a bird pecking for food. But that wasn't it.

It started to shoot lasers.

And the laser wasn't normal either. It was a blue, electric sort of substance, something so familiar to Gippal, and yet he couldn't place it.

And that wasn't the worst of it.

"Run Gippal!" cried a laughing Saleed. His laugh was no better than his normal, hoarse voice. "She might just kill you!"

"Yea, your girlfriend's finally turned her back on you!"

"Did you _cheat_ on her Gippal? Did ya?"

"Um…ya!"

Gippal gulped, closing his one eye tight for a moment as he took two more swift steps. It was Rikku. Rikku was driving the machina. He hadn't seen her at first, because the top of the machina had been all the way up at the ceiling, which was enormously high. But there she was, sitting just behind the pen needle tip, chasing him without a word. Gippal had been in shock at first, only staring at her. And she only stared back. Nothing. Her face had showed no expression and her body moved almost mechanically. It was quite obvious something was controlling her. But what?

Gippal dove underneath the metal lab table for momentary protection. His breath was starting to run short, and the machina couldn't crush the table for a few minutes.

"SALEED!" Gippal roared, all fear of his enemy forgotten. Only anger and hurt surged through him now. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO RIKKU?"

"Absolutely nothing," Saleed called back calmly above the smashing and thrashing of the machina as it slowly wore down the metal table. "She did it of her own free will."

"OBVIOUSLY SHE DIDN'T!" Gippal shouted, eye bulging. "I'M NO IDIOT! WHAT DID YOU DO?"

Gippal started back as the table was crunched down on one half, right where his head had been moments ago. His stomach started to clench and unclench. There was no way to get out of this. He was trapped, and he would die unless he figured out what was going on. More crunching and thumping. And then he heard a buzzing. He glanced up to see the blue laser starting to cut through the table. He immediately scrambled back on his feet and the palms of his hands. "Not the hair!" he called at the laser, but it didn't seem to notice. Gippal stood up and scampered over to one of the metal chairs, which he crouched helplessly behind. "Think, think, think…" he muttered, rocking back and forth on his heels. The buzzing and thumping in the background told him the machina was coming closer. "The laser, what _is_ it?"

"He told me to close my eyes and concentrate, and so I did, and I could feel my magic doing something, but I didn't know what. Then he told me to open my eyes, and that was it. I don't know what my magic had done…"

"Oh Yevon," Gippal breathed. "That laser is Athilda's magic!" Now, he didn't know exactly how it had happened, or if it was even _possible_, but he decided to accept the fact. But how, no, _why_ was Rikku driving? What kind of spell had they put on her? And Gippal was pretty sure this wasn't the sort of thing Saleed wanted Rikku for. There was something else…

_Crunch_.

Gippal yelped as the chair smashed down in front of him, causing the foot of the machina to be staring him right in the eye. Well, sort of. Then Gippal felt something overpowering him. Something he wasn't used to. Sure, Gippal got angry, and _sure_, Gippal sometimes jumped to conclusions, but when you think about it, he wasn't that impulsive. At least, not compared to Rikku. With a whoop he jumped on the foot of the machina, causing it to start back. He grabbed onto a loose wire sticking out for a hold, and dug his foot into the empty spaces between the parts of the pieces.

"Always cover up the innards, Saleed!" Gippal cried suddenly, climbing up the machina like a monkey on a tree. He didn't know what he was doing, but it seemed to take forever to reach to the top, considering the machina was thrashing about, slamming against the steel walls to try and suffocate Gippal. He really didn't know how he continued to climb with battered and broken bones, sore muscles and aching limbs, but he did. After all, he came to save Rikku…and that's what he was going to do.

"STOP!" Saleed shrieked, anger causing his voice to tremble. "STOP, YOU FIEND! I COMMAND YOU – "

But Gippal wasn't afraid anymore. That, or he was going insane. He started to laugh and hummed a familiar tune…one that Rikku had taught them as children. Sooner than expected, Gippal reached the top, where he felt his heart starting to thud painfully in his chest. There, in front of him, was the back of Rikku. The same blond hair was hanging loosely over her shoulders. Only now she was wearing some sort of tight, uncomfortably clingy body suit. With a trembling voice, Gippal yelled above all the noise the machina was making, stomping around and trying to shake him off.

"Rikku! Rikku, can you hear me?" She didn't move. He tried again. "Rikku, _please_ listen!" Nothing. "DAMNIT RIKKU, SNAP OUT OF IT!" Anger started to boil in his veins. He was sort of hoping that this would be like those soap opera's where the person snaps out of the trance when they hear the person they love's voice. He could clearly see that wasn't going to happen.

The laser began to spin haphazardly, and Gippal wondered numbly if his DNA or something was built into the laser. At least it couldn't spin back to where he and the driver were – that would have been unfortunate.

"Sorry Rikku," he muttered. Gippal took a deep breath and then lunged for Rikku's body, wrapping his arms around her waist and ripping her body out of the uncomfortable metal chair. The sudden movement and Gippal's unsteadiness sent the two toppling down twenty feet to the ground.

………

Everything was…was so fuzzy. What was she doing? …Controls? She must be driving a machina. I'm working for Cid, she finally decided, though she had no idea where the thought had come from. It was obvious she was in a room she didn't recognize, with a machina she had never handled. But the idea came to her all the same, and filled her mind until she believed it to be true.

"Pop!" she called, though she wasn't really calling. Her mouth made no movement. Only her hands, which were moving expertly along the board of complicated buttons and levers. What was going on? She wasn't even telling her hands to do such things.

Voices suddenly started. There was a familiar one…one she had been waiting for? Shaking the thought, Rikku listened to the one that had suddenly popped up unexpectedly, just like the one with Cid. She had to follow that familiar voice and strike it down with the machina. How was she going to do that? Immediately her hands flew to a yellow button, and a large buzzing sounded. A laser, a very odd laser came bursting out and towards the voice. Something like a yelp, and then…laughter? Something she hadn't heard in such a long time. But it was cruel and mocking. Rikku didn't like how she was feeling at all. Almost trapped. But she still didn't know what was going on. The word Cid firmly planted itself in her mind once more, and Rikku's doubts were silenced.

For a long time Rikku followed the voice, feeling an anger that was not her own bubble up in her veins. She followed him, growling in her throat. "I hate you!" she cried to the voice, though once more, her mouth didn't move. And truly, she didn't hate the voice. In fact, she had fond memories of it. Memories that were fuzzy…

A scream. Something clambering up the side of the machina. Rikku started to feel her mind whirl. That wasn't right. The voice was supposed to stay in front of her, on the ground, not on the machina where she couldn't reach it! But she did nothing else other than trying to spin the laser around, trying to jostle the voice into the walls. Numerous times she muffled it and silenced it, and was hopeful it was gone. Then maybe she could be back to normal, back to…

To where? Suddenly the voice started again, and Rikku pressed buttons and such rapidly, but to no avail. Soon she heard the voice right behind her. Oh _why_ wouldn't it leave her alone? She just wanted to sleep…she just wanted to go back to…to the Al Bhed…a certain Al Bhed? Was she even an Al Bhed? There was someone in her mind…someone that fit the voice…

Her body was yanked out of the chair, the only thing Rikku remember being in. Something changed. The fuzziness disappeared, and memories of her life started to reel so fast before her eyes she still remembered nothing. The buttons that had been her only friends that she could remember were getting further and further away. She screamed, but nothing happened.

Nothing happened until they hit the ground.

………

"Karren, this is _crazy_!" Athilda whispered hurriedly outside of the large metallic door. The small crack that Gippal had left open allowed Athilda to watch the whole episode, except for times when the machina crashed into the wall right above the door. "That evil man has used my magic for evil!"

"How can you tell it's your magic?" Karren whispered nervously, her eyes darting around the area. It was clear she wanted to leave, but Athilda wouldn't leave without Lady Rikku and Sir Gippal in tow. After all, it was her fault they were in this mess.

"Because it's kind of calling to me, you know? I feel a connection with it, even though it's been changed into something so different it's barely recognizable."

"Where are Sir Gippal and Lady Rikku?"

Athilda shuddered. "They…they fell, and then I didn't see anything because the machina decided to crash down right in front of the door."

Karren gulped. "Athilda, we have to do something, and fast. I don't know how they got Rikku into a trance, nor why she was in one up in the seats. Could she be connected to your magic somehow?"

Athilda stroked her chin thoughtfully and nervously at the same time. "I don't know, Karren. That's very possible, maybe even probable. And yet, it just doesn't make sense…"

"What about Saleed? Does _he_ have a connection with your magic?"

Athilda paled and started to tremble slightly. "I hope to Yevon he doesn't, Karren. That'd be…that'd be terrible." With a shudder, Athilda dragged Karren back into her crevice.

"That's it. We're going in to help."

"But how?"

"We'll think of something…"

………

Rikku opened her eyes groggily, feeling as if she had fallen asleep in the early afternoon and was now waking before supper. "Pop?" she asked stupidly, feeling as though she had just been with him, or doing something for him…

"Sorry Princess, it's just us," a voice snarled. Rikku snapped her eyes open. Her vision was cloudy for a moment, but everything came into a sudden sharp, and painful focus. Her head started to pound rapidly as she blinked. There, standing above her, was Sunny with Liam and Bilak in the back. That slime, Saleed, was missing. Something flashed before her eyes.

"_Stop!" Rikku screamed. "Stop, you can't do this to me!"_

_Saleed cackled almost happily. "Yes I can, Al Bhed. Did I tell you you're the only one that can drive my beauty?"_

"_Beauty?" Rikku eyed the machina carefully. It truly was beautiful, probably built by the three Al Bhed, but she wasn't going to admit such a thing. "That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen."_

_Saleed suddenly roared and came within an inch of Rikku's face, breathing heavily. His noseless face snarled in front of her, and it took everything inside of Rikku to stay calm without shrieking. He was way too close. _

"_Watch your mouth, dear," he whispered quietly. Rikku only stared him down until he stepped away, and then busied himself in a little cart beside the steel lab table, which Rikku was tied down on uncomfortably. _

"_Now, what do you notice about the machine?" he asked quietly, almost like a teacher talking to a student about a difficult math problem. Rikku looked up, the only way she could. The tip of the laser pointed dangerously and threateningly at her face. _

"_I notice it's pointed at me, and that it's not at all welcoming."_

_Saleed snapped his fingers, and the machina started to buzz. The laser tip started to rotate carefully, cocking every which was as if searching for something._

"_Well, if you truly understood its beauty, you'd notice that it attaches itself to people, or even large groups, by DNA."_

_Rikku gawped at him. If it could attack groups, it would be possible to wipe out Guado's, Spirans, or even…Al Bhed in one shot. Rikku gulped nervously._

"_But a laser couldn't do that…"_

"_Ah, but this is no normal laser. It contains the magic of a nervous wreck, the magic of a lonely person who had much anger and emotion inside. Something an angry machine would need is an angry power to fuel it."_

_Rikku didn't care where the magic had come from at the moment. "What do you need it for?"_

_Saleed chuckled as he tinkered with a small item Rikku couldn't see. She felt her stomach clench and unclench repeatedly, but she forced herself to stay calm. _

"_Silly girl, isn't it obvious?" _

_Rikku was silent for a few seconds, wracking her brain._

"_No."_

_Saleed sighed heavily and turned around to face Rikku, hiding something behind his back. He took two steps towards her and bent down until their faces were nearly touching. The cold and black eyes of Saleed's seemed endless and evil, and Rikku forced herself to look back into them, unblinking. It was like looking into two empty bowls._

"_I want to destroy anyone that stands in my way."_

_Rikku sighed heavily, rolling her eyes and moving her head to the other side so she didn't have to look at Saleed. "No offense, but that's SO cliché," she snorted, hiding a smirk._

_Saleed took a step back. "What do you mean, fool?" he hissed. It was clear Rikku had the momentary advantage to her death; so she played it up a bit._

"_I mean, come on, anyone that stands in your way? To what? Ruling a world that's empty because you killed everyone? And why do you want to own Spira anyway? We're not THAT special. No great resources like gold or anything that would lead you to power or anything…"_

_Saleed was silent for a few moments, and Rikku saw, no, hoped that he was thinking things over. She was right, he was wrong. He'd let her free and kill himself…or something._

"_No, no, no," he said softly, and Rikku felt her heart sink through the table. "No, that's not why I want to kill everyone. No, I want to OWN them. I want to make them my slaves. That laser, it doesn't kill people." He chuckled darkly, and brought a needle from behind his back. Rikku stiffened, eyes wide. "It only brainwashes them. The magic inside of it has been controlled by me, and I've sent it to do my bidding. After all, wouldn't it be a perfect world where everyone is a slave to me?" _

_Rikku could have spit on him, but she didn't. She didn't say a thing. She might as well learn all she could before dying. "But why stalk me?"_

"_Because, you are the only one that can drive this machina."_

"_Look, the magic isn't MINE, I don't know how I can be the only one to control it –"_

"_I've had this plan ever since you were born, Rikku. I felt your presence the moment you were alive. You hold a strong power. No, it's isn't magic, no, it isn't physical fitness. And no, it isn't stubbornness…" He fell silent for a few moments. "I knew I needed you for future plans to take over Spira. I knew I needed an insider. So I murdered Gippal's parents so he would have to go to Home. I forced him to become your friend, to learn everything about you. And then he started to tell me odd things, like Rikku made Little Jimmy get her a sandwich, or Rikku made this kid that was yelling at her go quiet by glaring at him…you held a power. A power to control things – to control others. It was the power I yearned for – "_

"_I CANNOT control people!" Rikku finally cried, her voice shrill. "I haven't made anyone do anything, EVER – "_

"_You don't know when it happens. It almost seems natural. The person doesn't feel controlled, or anything like that. I have studied your power for many years, Rikku, and with just an emotional thought, the person will usually do the bidding."_

"_No," Rikku snarled. "That isn't true. If it was, I could control you right now. I could tell you to kill yourself, I could have controlled Sunny into giving me the keys, all the times I wanted to so badly. I could have controlled Athilda and sent her away, or controlled Gippal to stay…"_

"_Sad thoughts and angered thoughts won't hurt. Rikku, you are never afraid. You are always exhilarated, never afraid what you NEED to be to use this power is afraid."_

_And Rikku realized it was true. She was never truly afraid. Always lost, confused, sad maybe, but never afraid. She groaned. "And my power…"_

"_Will control the magic. It is too wild for myself, too wild for even Athilda, the wielder of the magic to control. After all, she has trouble controlling her magic, does she not?" _

_Rikku merely shrugged, feeling her life ebbing away. No wonder she had never noticed her power. She had never been afraid!_

"_But Rikku, your power will finally come in handy." Saleed came closer with the needle and stuck it in her arm. "Say hello to fear…"_

………

"I need Gippal," Rikku spat, not even realizing he was in the room. Sunny sighed and pointed to the corner almost boredly. Rikku scanned the area and saw Gippal in the corner, his head propped up by being sat in the corner. Rikku gasped, surprised, stood up shakily and ran to him, ignoring all the Al Bhed around her, and didn't even worry about Saleed.

"Gippal! GIPPAL!" she cried almost happily, had their situation been better. She got no reply. His eye was closed and he wasn't responding. Rikku gasped as she knelt down beside him, seeing bruises and blood everywhere.

"That voice…" Rikku moaned and let her head fall onto his chest with a dull thump. "Oh Gippal, I'm so sorry! I didn't know – I didn't know it was you…" she began to sob uncontrollably, clutching the cloth on his shirt and crying into it. All the weight of the past few weeks began to wear off as she just sat there crying, hoping and praying Gippal woke up.

I wish I were afraid, she thought numbly. Then maybe he actually would wake up. But I'm not afraid…I'm alone.

"Rikukkkki?" Gippal moaned, his one eye fluttering. Rikku gasped, sitting up and looked expectantly at his face.

"Gippal? Gippal, answer me! It's Rikku!" Rikku felt her heart bubbling up. He had come to save her. He had come to rescue her. She knew she loved the right guy right there and then.

"Rikku?" he mumbled, lifting up a hand. Rikku grabbed for it and clung on tightly.

"Gippal, you must have fallen on the ground first or something, you softened the blow for me…"

Gippal grinned lopsidedly, though he still looked half dead. "Always lookin' out…for you, Princess," he said through ragged breathing. Rikku clutched his hand tighter, grinning stupidly into his face. Not until now did she realize how much she loved him.

"Gippal, I'm so sorry for everything, all the pain…" She moved her arms to hug him tightly around the neck. Gippal slowly moved his arms to wrap around her waist.

"S'okay." His reply was slurred, but it was filled with care. "I would've done it any other time…"

Rikku sobbed into his shoulder even though she was smiling. "I'm just – I didn't realize how much I'd miss you…"

The two looked at each other for a moment, both smiling. They were reunited. No kiss was needed to prove the love they felt for each other right there.

"What's this?" A voice barked into the room, causing Rikku to look over at the door. Saleed stood there, his eyes blazing. "Who reunited the two?" His voice was so deadly calm that no one answered.

"Bah, it's useless. You're all fools," he spat, turning over to Rikku and Gippal. "So," he said coolly, gazing at them with an evil look in his eye. "You managed to escape my baby, eh Rikku? Pity. You were made to control it. Made to make Spira my slaves."

"I would never do such a thing!" Rikku cried, standing up abruptly. Her legs suddenly had feeling in them, and she gazed at Saleed with a hatred she hadn't felt for so long. "Go back to the hole you crawled out of, scum!" she cried, pointing at him with a trembling finger. "You are the most _vile_, the most…" Rikku stopped in mid rant as she saw a familiar figure in the door behind Saleed. Athilda. She placed her finger to her lips, and Rikku, without knowing, obeyed. She was still angry with Athilda. After all, she didn't know the whole story as Gippal did. The two would have to catch up after.

"What's wrong, Rikku? Lost your courage?" Saleed asked in a taunting voice. Rikku only glared at him, placing her hands on her hips.

"No way. I've had it all along," she replied stiffly. Then, deciding to be cheesy, she shot back his cliché line that he had sent her way before he stuck her with the needle.

"Say hello to your worst nightmare," Rikku snarled, letting out an Al Bhed whoop and running at the man.

**A/N**: Eek. Nine pages. I'm dead. I know it's a dumb thing. I'm SORRY, I couldn't think of any other stupid power for Rikku. I have terrible writers block but I just wanted to update the story. Only one more chapter, I think! Might be two though, I dunno. I hope you liked it, and I'm super sorry for dumb plotline. I'm just so out of ideas. Review please!


	25. And In the End

**A/N**: Chapter 25, written on my new and fancy Windows XP. YAY. And it's the last chapter. Tiddlywinks. We couldn't wait ONE MORE WEEK, eh? Sob, this has been a GREAT story, and I'd LOVE to thank all of my fancy and lovely reviewers, rather you post or lurk, I love ya all! Hope you enjoyed the story!

**Bandit's Hideout**

Saleed's eyes turned to slits as Rikku ran at him, weaponless hands itching to get at his throat. She lunged at him, but he dodged quickly to the right. Rikku was smart enough to slap her arm to the floor as she rolled, catching herself as Saleed sent a blast of some sort of dark substance her way. With a little yelp she jumped up, the hot power grazing her shins. She gritted her teeth. This man was agile, as burned and black as he was.

"You'll never win, Desert Scum!" he hissed, eyes flashing. Rikku clenched and unclenched her hands. That was going a little too far, but she forced herself to keep her cool. This was a life or death situation, and Gippal was still trying to figure out where he was in the corner, his head lolling on the side of his shoulder.

"Of course I'll win," Rikku retorted. "Someone like _you_ can't stop me."

"Rik…No…" The raspy voice of Gippal caused Rikku to snap her head in his direction – bad move. Saleed muttered some words and sent more black magic her way. But she hadn't been looking, and caught the whole blow right in the abdomen. With an Oof she slammed against the metallic wall, the grated sides scraping at her back as she slid to the floor. Her head was dizzy, and her vision was fainting…

She bit the insides of her cheeks suddenly, almost as a reaction. The light-headedness left her as she stood up shakily, clutching her own thigh for support. She risked a glance at Gippal, who was slowly shaking his head. "Saleed….My…Job…"

Rikku had no idea what he meant, but she didn't have time to figure it out. Saleed appeared from her left mysteriously, charging at her with his arm upraised – he held something that looked almost like a mini glaive in his grasp! Rikku nearly screamed as she dodged his swipe. "You're using a weapon! That's not – fair!" she cried, jumping and skipping to avoid his swings and thrusts. "Give me my blades!"

"You'll have to find them first!" hissed Saleed, eyes gleaming crazily. Rikku's eyes scanned the area, not too surprised to see Athilda and Karren sneaking up on Sunny, Liam, and Bilak from behind. Athilda's hands had a blue fire tickling the tips, and Rikku had a feeling she knew what she was going to do. But her blades were no where to be seen.

"They better be in this room!" she screamed, just as his glaive did a crescent moon swing to her side. Rikku ducked, feeling the blade chop at her golden locks. She held in a gasp.

"Oh, they're somewhere, all right," he said, cackling. "Somewhere, somewhere, somewhere…"

It was official. The man had lost his mind, and Rikku had no idea what he was going on about. All she knew was that his plan had failed, so he was suddenly blood-thirsty. It was sort of hard to find her blades when he was chopping at her. Even if she just had a flash bomb, grenade, _anything_!

………

"Athilda!" Athilda ignored her sisters hissing whispers and advanced on the lazy Al Bhed, who were just standing there watching Rikku and Saleed fight. And Rikku wasn't doing too well. Already blood was dripping down her head, and her eyes seemed sort of bleary. And Gippal was useless, just kind of coming back to life in the corner. Athilda snapped around suddenly as her sister poked her.

"What?"

"Go fast! Rikku can't keep Saleed's back to us much longer!"

Athilda looked, and it was true. Slowly Saleed's face was coming into the girls' view. With a strangled gasp Athilda tried to get nervous – she really did. Suddenly seeing Rikku being sliced in two with the mini glaive was enough to cause her magic to flare from her hands.

"Rope," she whispered, hoping her lame commands would somehow control her wild magic. She focused all the attention she could on the blue magic, which was trying to spin itself into a rope but failing miserably and instead launching towards the walls. But she couldn't let the three Al Bhed know she was there. With gritted teeth she hissed the word again, this time focusing all of her soul into the word. "Rope."

The magic spun itself into a rope from her hands like nothing. She was amazed, until she saw Saleed's eyes glinting dangerously at Rikku. With a flick of her hand the rope went spinning for Sunny, Liam, and Bilak, tying the three together from ankle to neck in about ten seconds. They didn't even know what hit them, but now they were lying on the floor useless.

Karren suddenly popped up beside her sister to face the three men. "Where're Lady Rikku's blades?" she asked in a menacing voice. They didn't answer, only gaped at Athilda. They probably hadn't gotten over the initial shock that she escaped.

"But – how –"

Karren cut Sunny, her abuser, off with a swift slap which he greatly deserved. "Tell me, or my sister will burn you to a crisp."

Now Athilda knew that was impossible, but the other three didn't. Finally Liam's voice squeaked up. "In Sunny's room. In his closet –"

Karren was already gone, speeding down the hall. In less then a minute she was back with the crimson blades with the handles. "LADY RIKKU!" she cried, getting Rikku's attention for a millisecond. That's when she threw the blades into the air.

………

Rikku smiled gratefully as she leaped into the air, grasping her familiar friends in her hands. She owed Karren and Athilda so much. She had her tools back. She looked back at Saleed, who was glaring furiously at her. "Didn't think I had friends, eh Saleed?" she asked, taunting him. "Thought you had me nice and safe for some killing sprees, eh? Though I would do your _bidding_? Nice try, buddy. Ain't gonna happen."

She ran up to him, slicing her blades anywhere she could. Up high, at his ribs, down at his calves and thighs, anywhere that was vulnerable. But Saleed knew what she was trying to do, and suddenly turned into the defensive mode, where he blocked all of her hits with the wooden handle of his glaive. Rikku considered chopping it up, but that would just waste time. Instead, she decided to keep tiring him out by hitting down where she could. But he didn't seem to tire. The gleam in his eye only seemed to grow brighter, his blocks stronger and tougher, faster and more efficient. Sweat streamed into Rikku's eyes, but she didn't have time to shake it off. Her arms were starting to get sore, her legs wobbly…And the blood was starting to dry on her face, making the skin tight and uncomfortable. Rikku went in to his left rib with her right blade, but faked him out and sliced the left one into his lower right thigh. With a shocked cry he stumbled black, blood pouring from his leg.

Rikku, having seen many battles, had seen much blood. But all that blood had been red and normal. This blood, Saleed's blood, was black. Black as his eyes and skin. Rikku could only gasp and stare, until she remembered her situation. For some gruesome reason, Saleed smiled.

"So you see I am not all around ordinary."

"You weren't ordinary the minute you lived through Gippal's bomb!" she snapped. Saleed nodded.

"True. In fact, it was your lovely boyfriend's ill thought of deed that made me stronger, more immune. I am stronger than you, Al Bhed. Face it. I can go on for a very long time. I haven't even broken a sweat."

Rikku gritted her teeth, finally shaking the sweat out of her eyes. She hated this man; she hated him so much she wanted to stab him until he blew up, if that were possible…

"Rikku." Rasped a voice. Rikku looked out of the corner of her eye to see Gippal, standing up shakily. It seemed the effects of falling fifty feet on his back with Rikku on top were slowly starting to wear off, though his leg was at an unnatural angle. "Rikku, don't."

Rikku grunted suddenly as the force of Saleed and the butt of his mini glaive shoved into Rikku's rib cage. She went flying through the air once more, but managed to catch her balance when she rolled in the air and landed on all fours. The shock went through her wrists and ankles though, and now those throbbed. But it was better than a cracked open skull. She grinned shakily at Saleed, momentarily forgetting Gippal's protests. "Look at that," she said, "I'm a cat."

………

Gippal glared at Rikku with his one good eye. Didn't she understand? _Gippal_ needed to fight Saleed. It was _Gippal's_ parents Saleed had murdered, _Gippal's _life Saleed had stalked _Gippal's_ life he had ruined. Sure, Rikku's had been pushed in there along the way, but Gippal deserved to fight. Gippal deserved to kill Saleed.

She's doing it for you though, chided a voice from the back of his mind. She just wants to help you. She has her own reasons for hating Saleed as much as you do, and besides, you're in no condition to fight!

Sometimes Gippal hated that internal voice. But it was true. His back throbbed with an unknown pain, and his legs were as weak as noodles. His mind was still dizzy, but he wasn't going to sit around like a lump. Digging in his pouch he found a potion, which momentarily made him feel better. His eye focused to see Rikku getting up from the ground, shaking her hands and feet. He saw that Saleed's back was to him, and was about to lunge at him, when he remembered – Gippal couldn't touch Saleed. Because he had tried to murder him, he was forbidden to touch what was left of that fire. The flames from the horrific memory flicked in front of his eyes, but he tried to brush them off. But they wouldn't leave. He didn't know what to do…For once in his life, Gippal was lost in a battle. His pistol? He highly doubted it would do anything. Still, it was worth a try.

Loading it up quickly, he cocked the barrel, aiming for the back of Saleed's skull. He had to wait until just the right moment – Saleed was prone to run at the last second with a burst of unknown speed. He watched with gritted teeth as Rikku dodged his sudden attacks at her body. She got a few cuts and scratches that looked like they hurt, but Gippal knew the feeling of numbing pain. There were worse things then a couple of scratches. Finally Saleed stopped as Rikku shook the sweat out of her eyes and lunged at him; doing so many speedy strikes Gippal couldn't see what went where. Finally one must have struck its target, because Saleed screamed as he stumbled back once more. That was it. Gippal pulled on the trigger, and the bullet zoomed out at amazing speed, dead on its target.

But Gippal wasn't expecting him to twitch. He wasn't expecting him to stand up from where he had been and move to the right a bit to get a better angle on Rikku. The bullet was never, _never_ supposed to hit anyone but Saleed. Ever.

But it did.

It hit Rikku.

………

Everything suddenly went black. A searing pain in her thigh caused Rikku to fall to her knees. She felt something streaming from her leg. With bleary eyes she saw it was red. Juice? No…No, it was blood. Something had caused Rikku to bleed. She didn't remember Saleed hitting her so hard. She looked up to see Saleed with something like momentary shock on his face, and a fuzzy Gippal with a look of pure horror on his face. Why, though? Gippal didn't do anything, did he?

But she saw the pistol in his hands. She saw the bullet hole in her leg.

And then she collapsed.

………

Gippal lost it. He _completely_ lost it. Rikku couldn't be taken to a doctor until Saleed was murdered, gone off of the face of Spira. Gippal didn't care about the pain he felt as he jumped on the back of Saleed, his mangled leg twisting even more. He didn't care when his hands nearly burned off, and blisters popped all over his skin as he strangled Saleed to his death. He had caused Gippal to shoot Rikku. Gippal had shot the girl he loved; the girl he loved was going to _die_ because of him.

"I…HATE…YOU!" he managed to cry, eyes getting blurry with tears from physical _and_ emotional pain. Saleed was trying desperately to pull Gippal off of him, but he had locked his legs tightly around the old man's waist as he continued to strangle him. "YOU RUINED MY LIFE, YOU RUINED MY LOVE, AND YOU RUINED MY FAMILY! YOU'RE SCUM! YOU DESERVE TO DIE!"

And only seconds later, Saleed fell limp, clattering to the floor. Gippal stood up in a split second, shaking nervously. He had just killed Saleed with his two bare hands. He didn't know how it had been so easy, and seconds later he realized it hadn't been. His leg seared with white-hot pain, and his hands were raw and bleeding from strangle Saleed, as well as his legs were burning. But he ignored it and Saleed's limp body as he ran for Rikku.

"Rikku?" he asked, voice quivering. His voice _never_ quivered. "Rikku, oh Rikku…" He lifted her head gently to see her skin was ghostly pale and her eyes were closed, mouth hanging open. He checked her wrist for a pulse. There was a light one, but just barely.

"Oh Rikku…" he muttered, laying his head on her forehead. "I'm so sorry…I would never mean to hurt you in any way…" he was silent for a few moments, and then broke into angry sobs, slamming his fist on the floor. But it hurt too much. It all hurt too much. Everything was spinning around him.

"Rikku…Don't leave me Rikku, please. I'm not ready to live without you. Don't die on me, Rikku. Don't die…" And then he collapsed on top of Rikku, leaving a shocked Athilda and a crying Karren in his wake.

………

Fluorescent lights shone through Rikku's closed eyelids. She mumbled, waving a finger feebly in the air. She rolled on her side, ready for more sleep. But the sheets around her were feather light, and the seemed to almost crinkle with cleanliness. She opened one eye blearily. Where was she? And why did her leg hurt like a herd of chocobo's had bitten it off?

Rikku moaned and sat up carefully, feeling every bone in her body creak and every muscle tense up. Where was she? How…

"Hello, Lady Rikku." Rikku looked to the right to see Athilda sitting in the far corner of a rectangular, white washed room. Only Rikku's bed and small machine which beeped every so often were in there, as well as a line of chairs on the wall.

"A-Athilda?" she croaked, feeling the dryness of her throat. Athilda immediately grabbed a glass of water off of the side table and passed it to her. Rikku mumbled her thanks and took three big gulps. "Where am I? What happened?" She finally managed, feeling a dull ache pound across her forehead.

"You're in the Luca City Public Hospital, and you got shot in the thigh right before Sir Gippal went on a murderous rampage and strangled Saleed with his own two hands." Athilda said the events almost boredly, though Rikku could tell she was hiding something like fear in her eyes.

"Gippal – murdered Saleed? Who shot me? How?"

Athilda's lips tightened. "Yes, Sir Gippal murdered Saleed. He's buried very nicely in the ocean right now. And – um – about who shot you –"

"RIKKU!" The voice of Gippal boomed through the room like an earthquake. Rikku managed to bend her neck to see Gippal running to her in the bed. He grabbed her in a hug and tightened his grip on her, his face buried on her shoulder. Rikku was taken by shock.

"Uh – Gippal? What're you doing?" She swore she felt tears on her shoulder. Gippal was silent for a few minutes, but finally stood back, his hands resting on her shoulders as he inspected her.

"You've got a few bruises," he muttered absently, pushing back a lock of hair to feel the bruise on her cheek. She winced, and he immediately drew back his hand.

"What're you doing?" she repeated, forcing him to answer. Gippal looked suddenly uncomfortable.

"I'm just…just saying hello. You've been asleep for nearly a week. Thankfully the healers here fixed me in less then three days, but they had more trouble with you."

"With me? Why?"

"Because you had been – er – been shot."

Rikku eyes him warily. "And…"

"And…we're here now!" he said, grinning. Rikku shook her head slowly.

"Gippal, seriously. Who shot me?"

Gippal fell silent, and then mumbled something.

"What?" Rikku asked, leaning in closer, which was clearly an effort.

Gippal sighed exasperatedly. "_I_ did, okay? I was going to shoot Saleed, I swear to Yevon I had it aimed perfectly, right for the back of his head, but then he moved an inch, just an INCH, and it went through your leg." Gippal's eye was watery, but he didn't start crying, which kind of bothered Rikku.

"You mean – YOU shot me?" she asked coldly. Gippal stepped back from her.

"I did, I did, but I didn't mean it, I _swear_ to you Rikku, I _swear_, please don't think I would ever –"

Rikku placed a finger to his lips. "Shut up, Gippal. It's all right."

He blinked. "What?"

"It's all right."

"You mean you're not going to yell and throw things at me?"

Rikku smirked and lay back on her pillow. The drugs must be desensitizing her or something. "No. I'm too tired to do anything much but talk and move a finger or so. And my leg hurts like hell," she moaned, glaring at him. "But you know what? That's okay."

Gippal was still looking at her like she was crazy. Then he smiled. "This is a nice surprise," he finally commented. "I lived through it all."

Rikku motioned for him to come closer. One look in the corner told her Athilda had slipped quietly from the room. "No Gippal," she said as she rested her hands on both of his cheeks.

"_We_ lived through it all."

_**EPILOGUE**_

**Djose Temple, Two Months Later**

"Rise and shine, Sunshine!" called Gippal's voice from the doorway. Rikku moaned and rolled over to hide her face from the overly cheerful one in the entrance.

"Bugger off Gippal," she moaned into her pillow. Gippal only tutted her and ripped the blanket off of her back, causing her to shrink herself up into a ball to keep warm. "GIPPAL!" she screeched, not looking at him. "YOU'RE EVIL!"

He only smiled and shoved her over closer to the wall. "Move over," he commanded, and Rikku did so to make room for him. Gippal sighed as lay down on her bed beside her, face looking up at the ceiling. The two were silent for a moment, Rikku still trying to stay warm in her morning grumpiness and Gippal smiling softly to himself.

"Gimme the blanket," Rikku finally said, voice muffled by the pillow. Gippal clutched it closer to him.

"No way, Jose. _You_ need to get up, Secretary-O-Mine."

"ASSISTANT!" Rikku screamed, whipping around and punching him swiftly in the arm. Gippal winced, but chuckled.

"I knew that would wake you up."

Rikku glared daggers at him. "Shut up, Gippal." She turned around to face the wall again. Gippal looked at her back for a few moments, but then crept his head over and on top of her turned shoulder so he could see the side of her face, brow furrowed in concentration.

'Riiikkkuuu…." He whispered his voice breathing into her ear. She shivered.

"Stop it," she commanded.

"Riiiikkkuuuuuuuu," he continued, smirking. She didn't answer. He kissed her lightly on the cheek.

""Fyga ib, so tayn,

Dra cih ec y creheh',

Desa du cmeb uh ouin cruac.

Desa du byo ouin tiac,

Desa du kad uidceta.

Fyga ib, so ruhao,

Dra cih ec y dymgeh'.

Ra seccac oui mega E secc oui,

Fyga ib so ruhao,

Fyga ib so tayn..."

**((Wake up, my dear,**

**The sun is a shinin',**

**Time to slip on your shoes.**

**Time to pay your dues,**

**Time to get outside.**

**Wake up, my honey,**

**The sun is a talkin'.**

**He misses you like I miss you,**

**Wake up my honey,**

**Wake up my dear...))**

Rikku smiled warmly at the old song Al Bhed mothers used to sing to wake up their children. She moaned and turned around, wrapping her arms around him and opening her eyes slowly. "You like to wheedle me out of bed with cute things like that, don't you?" she asked mockingly. Gippal smiled.

"You know me too well."

"Sadly, I have that burden."

Gippal lifted her up out of bed, spinning around the room while singing some old Al Bhed songs. She giggled and clung tight as she spun faster and faster until they were both dizzy. He set her on the ground to let her shake off the dizziness. He looked down at her.

"The Faction's been much more enjoyable with you here working with me. I'm not stuck with paperwork anymore, and I have my little lovely," he said, tickling her chin. Rikku bit at his fingers while planting her hands on her hips.

"Well, I had to hire _someone_ else to do the paperwork. I don't want your life being twenty years shorter than it has to be." Gippal chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"You're still the same Cid's girl."

"HEY!" Rikku cried indignantly.

"But that's the way I love ya," he finished, grabbing her in a hug. Rikku grinned slowly.

"You know _just_ how to woo a girl, don't you Gippy?"

He chuckled. "Got that right, Cid's Girl."

The two parted and looked into each others eyes, both happier than they'd ever been in their lives. Things were perfect between them.

"OI!" cried a sudden voice. The two looked in the doorway to see Suttin standing there, grinning. "We've got three buffoons at the door askin' to see your Lordship," he said mockinglys, bowing in Gippal's direction.

Gippal and Rikku both eyed each other.

"What're their names?" Rikku asked curiously. Suttin fought very hard to hide the smirk on his face at catching the two in one of their lovey-dovey moments.

"They say their names are Sunny, Liam, and Bilak. They're tryin' to find work or something."

Gippal and Rikku both looked at each other, a look of horror clearly written on Rikku's face.

And then the two did the unexpected. Rather then shriek and send the three to the police, they laughed.

They laughed, and laughed, and laughed, clutching onto each other for support.

Nothing could ruin their perfect mood. Nothing could ruin their perfect life…Together.

_**THE END**_

**A/N**: SOB. It's all so BEAUTIFUL. I suck at endings. So shoot me. It's always gotta be some corny one liner. But whatever. I'm tired, I need my sleep. I hope you liked me story, because I had TONS of fun writing it! Big grin on my face right now. Love ya all, please review for last time comments! Hugs and stuff,

Kristen


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